Tales of the Transformers-Volume 3: Masterforce
by J0hn D33r3
Summary: The future is uncertain for the Autobots and Decepticons in the aftermath of the Combiner Wars. Megatron has been captured, Shockwave flees to Chaar, and Optimus Prime is a fugitive on Earth, all while Autobot and Decepticon factions across space do battle using the Master System! Who will be left standing in this time of uncertainty in the next volume of TALES OF THE TRANSFORMERS?
1. Brave New World

**Cerebros and a crew of Autobot explorers are racing through space as the fearsome Decepticon privateer Scorponok gives chase. With their ship, the Steelhaven heavily damaged, Cerebros and his crew land on the nearby planet of Nebulos to take refuge from their pursuers. The Nebulans, a peaceful civilization under the rule of the Holless Dynasty, will soon find themselves engulfed in a greater war than they could ever imagine...**

* * *

The Steelhaven touched down on the dry, rusty red soil of Nebulos. "Here we are, Cerebros. We've landed in the Eastern Hego Desert, about fifty megamiles from the Arvassian Range, the largest mountain range on the planet." Highbrow, the ship's pilot reported. For almost as far as they could see, a vast expanse of desert lay before them, with mountains in the distance that appeared to have some vegetation on them and whose peaks were covered in snow, as well as the faint glimmer of a city atop the mountains.

"My scans indicate that Scorponok is just now entering the system. Remember the plan, we'll scatter across the planet and regroup once they pass through the system. Until then we must observe strict radio silence." Cerebros told his crew.

"You know, maybe it'll be a good idea to scan the planet for intelligent and alter our alt-modes accordingly." Brainstorm suggested.

"Good idea." Cerebros said. He then activated the ship's life sign scanners and in a few seconds the scans read that the planet was indeed home to intelligent life as a projection of a male and female Nebulan appeared. They were fair skinned, humanoids with a variety of hair and eye colors and rather pronounced cheekbones for both sexes. Also displayed was a variety of vehicles for the crew to choose from. Cerebros became a six wheeled all terrain vehicle, Brainstorm was a canard fighter jet, Chromedome was a sports car, Hardhead became a bulldozer tank, Highbrow was a twin-rotor helicopter gunship, and Cog was an armored carrier. Once they had taken on new vehicle modes as well as erase the data on the ship's central computer, Cerebros looked at his crew one more time before they were to depart and find refuge somewhere on Nebulos.

"Be safe, everyone." He said "Transform and roll out!" The crew of the Steelhaven changed to their new Nebulan vehicle modes and spread out in different directions across Nebulos in Cerebros' bid to elude their pursuers. Cerebros then activated the emergency subspace transmitter and sent a distress signal.

"This is Captain Cerebros of the _Steelhaven_ calling Cybertron. My crew and I are being pursued by Decepticon pirates and are running low on fuel. We have been forced to land on the planet Nebulos with heavy damage to our ship as well. Please send backup as quickly as possible." He said, then he signed off the transmission and took out a blaster pistol, then with one blast he destroyed the transmitter before finally departing his ship...

* * *

In space, Scorponok's ship dropped out of hyperspace. "Reached our target we have, Captain!" One of his crewmen, Weirdwolf reported. Weirdwolf was predictably odd, born with a glitch which scrambled his speech syntax. On top of this, he was also a beastformer and because of the discrimination he faced no one else would accept him but Scorponok's pirates.

"Very good. Ready a drop ship." The captain said, and joining him were Weirdwolf, Mindwipe, Skullcruncher, Apeface, Misfire, Slugslinger, Triggerhappy, Snowcat, and Demolishor for his advance party to scout out the planet for their prey. Soon enough, they tracked the ship to its landing spot in the Hego Desert to find the Steelhaven abandoned.

"They're here alright, Captain. It looks like they've only just arrived." Informed Mindwipe. "They have no idea of the darkness that awaits them!" Demolishor and Snowcat emerged out of the ship.

"We couldn't find any records of their previous destinations, Captain." Demolishor began.

"In fact, the central computer's memory looks to have been completely wiped." Finished Snowcat. Scorponok was aware that the Autobots would cover their tracks like this upon arrival.

"Then we'll just have to ask them, won't we?" Scorponok replied, then he contacted his ship in orbit. "Flywheels, our reconnaissance indicates that the Autobots are indeed on this planet. Send down more troops and begin a sweep of the planet."

"Right away, Captain!" Flywheels, a red and brown triple changer replied, then he relayed his captain's instructions to the hangar, where several more shuttles were readied with troops to bolster Scorponok's planet wide search effort.

"We won't destroy their ship, not yet at least. Perhaps once we find and kill those Autobots we can sell it for its worth in scrap to the Junkions. They'd pay good money for an Autobot light cruiser like this!" Scorponok said, thinking out loud to his crew.

* * *

In the city of Koraja, the capital and largest city on the planet, King Norren, a middle sized, Nebulan with a bald head and a short grey beard, brown eyes and a tattoo that could be seen on his wrist under his red, purple, and golden robes sat atop his grand throne. For over 150 years, the Holless Dynasty ruled Nebulos with a fair hand and with it a golden age in science, philosophy, art, and technology followed. However, it was becoming apparent that Norren's rule was beginning to draw to a close. For over three months he could be seen having terrible coughing fits in public and all of his was compounded by an internal injury he had sustained after an attempt on his life five years earlier. Nonetheless, the King was determined to lead his people regardless of his health. Prince Galen, his son, entered the court with his mistress Llyra Zarrian, who curtsied to the king out of respect. Galen was about 20 years old, with light blonde hair and the same brown eyes as his father. He was well defined, dressed in a three-piece suit dyed in the royal colors much the same as his father's robes. Llyra was a beautiful 19 year old woman with copper colored hair which flowed down her shoulders and a braid wrapped across the back of her head. She was dressed in a blue top exposing her midriff and shoulders and a matching miniskirt with white socks under her black heels. "Galen, my son! Was your latest trip productive?" He asked, happy to see the return of his son and his companion.

"Indeed it was, father!" Galen answered. Recently Galen took Llyra took a trip to one of the poorer regions of the planet for charity work as the people of Nebulos held the prince in high regards for his recent ventures into philanthropy. "Now, the people of the entire southern half of the Igan Province have guaranteed access to clean water!" He reported, excitedly. King Norren felt great pride in his son's accomplishments as he saw them as a sign of things to come when he was to be crowned as king someday. While the father and son enjoyed their reunion, a dark figure entered the courtroom with his head held low.

"Patting yourselves on the back again, are we?" He bellowed. Galen turned around and saw walking up to him his uncle, Lord Zarak, Duke of Splendora, strutting up to him. He was an imposing figure, with dark hair and eyes, dressed in royal colors but with a black cape. "Yes, you'll make a fine king indeed!" Galen and Zarak had a strained relationship to say the least. For the longest time, King Norren and his wife, Queen Jinna, seemed as though they were never going to have a child. Because of this, royal law dictated that should the ruling king did not produce an heir, his brother would succeed him to the throne. Zarak hoped that he would be next to the throne, but that changed when Queen Jinna miraculously became pregnant with Galen. Rumors even circulated that Zarak, in a bid to keep the throne for himself, tried to kick the queen in her stomach while she carried him, and while these rumors were, for all intensive purposes, disproved Zarak was seen in a very unfavorable light since then, leading to the hatred of his nephew he now borne. "Father always favored you over me." Zarak complained.

"Maybe you should have done more to earn it then." Norren replied, harshly. Zarak stood opposite of Galen on Llyra's right side, running his hand up her bare thigh and midriff which made her very uncomfortable and Galen and the King very angry.

"Stop that!" She shrieked. Galen then stood between them and said,

"Let her go!" in a bold voice. Zarak smiled darkly and shoved her into Galen's arms.

"I'm through with her, anyway, your highness!" Zarak retorted. "Next time you should show some more backbone when another man touches your mistress in that way! That is unless you want your adoring subjects to believe you're really a spineless cuckold!" The Royal Guard detail in the courtroom quickly drew their rifles and pointed them at Zarak. King Norren was not going to tolerate his brother's behavior in his court.

"Stop this at once, Zarak!" The King boomed. "Gort, escort him out of here at once!"

"Yes, Your Majesty." Duros, the Captain of the Royal Guard replied. Two guardsmen took Zarak by his arms and escorted him out of the court, ending the standoff.

"Thank you, father. I owe you one." Galen thanked his father.

"You owe me more than one, my son." Norren replied to his son with a chuckle. Galen tended to his mistress, clearly shaken by Zarak touching her in an unpleasant manner.

"Are you alright?" He asked her, comfortingly. Llyra composed herself for a second, but managed to answer.

"Thank you, dear. I'm fine now." Galen looked into her beautiful eyes and caressed her cheek.

"How about we go out for some fresh air." He suggested. Llyra perked up and Galen took her out for a meal at the Gardens of Eternal Peace and Harmony Macrobiotic Restaurant, then out into the country for a walk and to enjoy the rise of the planet's three moons atop a precipice overlooking the plains.

* * *

A few miles away from Galen and Llyra's location, Cerebros was being pursued by a small squad of Scorponok's pirates consisting of Ferak, Ransack, Venom, and Chop Shop. "We've almost got him!" Venom said. Cerebros gunned his engine and sped ahead of them, but in front of him lay a rock face, the same rock face which Galen and Llyra stood over. He changed to robot mode and was cornered by the pirates.

"Give up, Cerebros! There's no escape!" Ferak taunted. Cerebros was unflinching in the face of such threats. He quickly drew out his twin handheld machine guns as he replied,

"I'll resort to fighting only as a last option, but you've forced my hand..." He then hit Ransack with a quick burst to the chest and blasted Venom in the face. "..And that's a mistake you won't survive to learn from!" He continued as he whirled around and slammed Ferak into the rock wall. Above, Galen and Llyra felt the ground beneath them shake.

"Let's get out of here, it's not safe!" Galen said to his mistress, urgently. He took her hand and pulled her off of the ledge just as it came crumbling down, and just as they escaped Ferak caught a glimpse of the two organic beings fleeing. Cerebros was covered by the debris and Ferak saw it as an opportunity to gain the advantage over his foe. He changed to his jet mode and took off, but the Autobot captain was quick enough to grab onto the pirate's wing even when he was injured by the falling rocks. Cerebros jumped off and landed nearby, then as the Prince and his companion ran Ferak changed to robot mode and stood menacingly in front of them.

"What is that thing?!" Galen exclaimed. He pushed Llyra back as the giant mechanical being reached over and grabbed Galen in his hand.

"Galen!" Llyra shouted in horror. Ferak saw that Cerebros had managed to catch a ride up to the top.

"There you are, Cerebros, how about we make this interesting?" He offered. He then turned around and faced the drop, holding Galen over the edge.

"Surrender to me and tell us where Scorponok can find the rest of your crew or I'll drop this organic! A fall from this height is certainly enough to kill it!" Ferak laughed, evilly. Cerebros' situation was precarious, but negotiation was his specialty.

"That sounds like you're wasting an opportunity for some quick cash, Ferak! I heard the slave traders of Bako'dun will pay an arm and a leg for a Nebulan!" Cerebros said, thinking of a compelling reason for Ferak to spare Galen's life, but the Decepticon saw through this lie, even with Cerebros' skills in negotiation.

"You can't lie to save your life, Cerebros! The Bako'dun deal in Energon, not slaves!" Ferak laughed. He was laughing so hard he took his eyes off of Cerebros, then he popped up from behind him and held Ferak in a headlock and slammed him on the ground with his enemy on top.

"I wasn't trying to make a deal, just stalling for time hoping you'd get distracted!" Cerebros said as Ferak dropped Galen as Llyra ran to him. "Sorry about what I'm about to do, but I can't have you putting my crew in any more jeopardy than they're already in!" Then he snapped Ferak's neck and his body collapsed on top of him.  
The whole ordeal had shaken both Galen and Llyra, who feared that Cerebros would try and kidnap them next. He then turned to them and crouched down. "Ba wheep granaah wheep nini bong!" He said to the two organic life forms who gave him a perplexed look.

"Can you...understand us?" Galen asked.

"That I can, and that was called the Universal Greeting." Replied Cerebros. Galen and Llyra were still confused. "My name is Cerebros, captain of the Steelhaven." He introduced himself, then he put in his massive hand.

"I am prince Galen, heir to the Kingdom of Nebulos." Galen introduced himself, shaking Cerebros' hand. Cerebros, out of respect for his title, bowed before the prince who was honored by the gesture. "It's alright, no need for formalities." Galen said, kindly. Cerebros then realized that the Decepticons would be coming for him once they realized Ferak and his team had not checked in.

"I need you to take me to the leader of this planet." Cerebros said, then he transformed to vehicle mode. "Get in and we can get there faster." Galen and Llyra got into Cerebros' cabin and he zoomed away as Galen gave him directions. The prince then took Cerebros to the Royal Plaza in the center of Koraja, and in its center was the palace of King Norren.

"Wait here. I'll get my father." Galen said as he and Llyra exited him and he changed to robot mode. Cerebros then took a moment to admire the scenery of the city. It almost reminded him of Cybertron. A few minutes later Galen returned with his father, Gort, and a small squad of Royal Guardsmen. "Here he is, father. Captain Cerebros." Galen introduced him to the Autobot captain. Cerebros bowed to the king, who then asked him several questions.

"What are you? Where do you come from? What is your purpose on this planet?" King Norren asked Cerebros.

"Well, your Majesty..." Cerebros said, and he then explained everything about his origins as an Autobot from the planet Cybertron, sent by his leader, Optimus Prime, to find a suitable planet to utilize as a base for their forces to regroup and take back Cybertron in the wake of their enemy, Megatron's counteroffensive across the galaxy which sent the Autobot forces in retreat. He told the king that five other Autobots were scattered across Nebulos after he ordered them to do so upon their arrival in an effort to elude Scorponok. Once Cerebros finished explaining everything to the King, he then waited for an answer.

"Very well. I will dispatch my forces to aid you in your quest to find your crew. In the meantime, make yourself at home." King Norren answered. From a rooftop, a Nebulan man watched all of this take place and he reached into his pocket for his handheld communicator.

"Sir, we found him." He said into the communicator.

"The robot?" A voice came.

"Affirmative. It seems he's made some sort of deal with the King." The man answered.

"Our friends at the Grax communications facility have been tracking those robots since they entered the system. Now that we know Norren and his idiot son are in league with the Autobots it's time to give Scorponok a call, wouldn't you agree, Monzo?" The voice asked his servant.

"Of course, Lord Zarak. Monzo out." Monzo said. Zarak had been waiting for the perfect opportunity to seize the throne and now he possessed the means to carry out his ambitions...

* * *

On Earth, the remaining Autobots were gathered by General O'Malley and Captain Lennox to discuss their plans to recover Optimus after his daring escape from Joint Base Andrews. "Optimus Prime is now a wanted 'bot, that's why I am entrusting Captain Lennox and Prowl with command of a new task force to recapture him, code named Skywatch. To catch an Autobot, you have to be one." He told the Autobots. Whispers then came from the crowd of Autobots with this turn of events. "If in the event that you can't capture him, terminate with extreme prejudice." It was now dead silent. The thought of having to kill their leader if he couldn't be recaptured made them all feel sick, but given that if they did not follow through with the General's orders they would also be killed. The seeds of rebellion that Optimus had sown were now beginning to take root. Even Prowl had his own private, traitorous thoughts.

"I won't let that happen." He thought to himself.


	2. Rally the troops!

**Cerebros and his Autobot crew have landed on the planet Nebulos with the Decepticon pirate Zarak in hot pursuit. After splitting up to avoid capture, Cerebros makes contact with Prince Galen and Llyra Zarrian after saving their lives from some of Scorponok's pirates. Granted an audience with King Norren, the ruler of Nebulos, Galen, Cerebros, and Duros, Captain of the Royal Guard, set out to find the rest of Cerebros' crew with the hope of mounting a defense against Scorponok's pirates...**

* * *

Galen and Duros were dressed in the distinctive dark green field garb of the Royal Guard as they set out to command the expedition accompanying Cerebros on his search for the rest of his crew. A force of Royal Guardsmen were assembled in formation in the courtyard of the palace, awaiting Gort and the Prince's command. "Our forces are ready to depart, Your Highness." Gort reported as he raised a rigid salute. Galen returned it and the Captain of the Guard stood easy. Cerebros then joined Galen as they assessed the battalion of Royal Guard reserves that had been activated to undertake the mission.

"Well done, Duros. Punctual as usual." Galen complimented. To see him now made the Captain happy that his mentoring of him at the Royal Officers Training Academy had paid off.

"I'm ready when you are, Your Highness." Cerebros said. Duros then turned to face his men as they stood to attention.

"Right then! Men, let's move out!" Duros told them.

"YES SIR!" The soldiers responded, loudly. Duros and his troops then loaded onto armored carriers with tanks for support and supply tractors follwing while Galen paired up with Cerebros, who would lead the expeditionary convoy. Above in an adjacent tower, Monzo, one of Zarak's colleagues took note of the Guardsmen's convoy heading out with Cerebros in the lead and reported it to him over his comlink.

"The prince and the Autobot are leading a convoy of Reserve Guardsmen, bearing 27 degrees north-northwest." Monzo detailed to his associate.

"Good. Scorponok will hear from me shortly enough. He has indicated in his most recent transmission with me that another Autobot energy signature is in close proximity to him. With his help the throne will be mine, yet." Zarak said, placing his fingertips together in view of the projector.

"And I'll get my own noble title, right?" Monzo asked, hopefully. Zarak gave him a greasily optimistic smile.

"Of course, my friend, of course!" He replied, then his transmission with Monzo ended. He then opened a communications channel with Scorponok's ship, which was in orbit over the planet.

* * *

Aboard his ship, the Decepticon Privateer had since returned from the surface and was relaxing in an oil bath with several fembot concubines of his.

"Captain Scorponok, can you massage my shoulder blades with your big, muscly claws?" One asked him, sweetly.

"Sure. Be a dear and remove that cumbersome plating, would you?" Scorponok answered, asking her to shed her breastplate for him to reach the spot she wanted him to massage. As she removed her plating, Flywheels burst into the bathing room.

"Captain, it's Zarak! He wants a word." He told his captain. He then saw one of his harem removing her breastplate and was visibly tantalized. "Hey hey, baby! Mind turnin' around?"

"Eww! No!" The concubine squealed in embarrassment.

"What is it, Flywheels?" Scorponok gruffed, shaking off his perverse request of his concubine. Flywheels opened the connection and Zarak's projection appeared.

"Captain, I'm sorry if I am of any inconvenience to you, but my sources indicate that Prince Galen and Cerebros have organized an expedition to find the rest of his crew. They are heading northwest to the Unja Province, where another Autobot energy signature has been located." Zarak told him.

"Well done, Lord Zarak, well done. I was enjoying a nice oil bath when you called. Very well, I will rejoin my crew already on the ground and in pursuit." Scorponok said, and the transmission ended. The hulking Decepticon pirate captain then hoisted himself out of the oil bath, dried himself off and headed for the hangar, where more of his crew joined him and he took a shuttle down to the planet's surface.

* * *

In the green rolling hills of the Unja Province, Hardhead had dug a foxhole for himself as shelter from the elements. A natural survivalist, he was well equipped for the situation he had found himself in. Skullcruncher and a force of pirates were already in pursuit of him, but he had put enough distance between his pursuers that he was able to dig in and rest for a little while. He scanned the horizon and saw nothing, just the same as he had every other half-hourly scan, that was until the rangefinder found something. An Autobot energy signature was detected coming in from the southeast, and it looked like Cerebros' Nebulan APC mode. However, he was still under strict orders to maintain radio silence. He had a solution as he raised his pistol with a flare launcher attached and fired a flare into the sky. In the second APC behind Cerebros, Duros saw the flare.

"Highness, you seeing this?" He asked.

"Roger that. Sure did." Galen replied.

"That's one of mine." Cerebros explained. The convoy was soon in range for Hardhead to then climb out of his foxhole and waved his arms. Galen and Cerebros lead their convoy off of the unpaved road through the desolate plains towards Hardhead's foxhole and as the sped ever closer, an explosion burst in front of the convoy and several objects screamed in from overhead. As the dust settled, Galen exited Cerebros' vehicle mode as he changed to his robot mode. He could see Misfire, Slugslinger, Triggerhappy, Flywheels, Battletrap, Apeface, and Snapdragon coming around for another attack on the convoy.

"Your Highness, find cover!" Cerebros shouted. Galen ran to Duros' APC as Cerebros then drew out his twin handheld machine guns and fired them into the air.

"You think that's gonna stop us, Autobot!?" Misfire cackled. He screamed in and launched a volley of unguided rockets at him, but true to his name the projectiles peppered the ground all around him, leaving the Autobot captain unscathed.

"I know that certainly didn't stop me!" Cerebros retorted as Misfire and his wingmen landed to engage him as well as wreck the Nebulan convoy. Admittedly, he was a bit rusty in terms of servo-to-servo combat, but his skills were sufficient to hold his own in a seven to one battle. He slammed his shin into Slugslinger's abdomen and sent the pirate flying, then he decked Triggerhappy across the face with a solid punch to the jaw, but was too distracted to notice Snapdragon and Apeface, who had changed from robot mode to their beast modes as they descended upon him.

"I'll tear you apart!" Snapdragon snarled as he charged over the Autobot captain and plunged his teeth into his left tricep. Cerebros yelled in pain as he felt the beastly Decepticon gnash his teeth on his flesh.

"No!" Roared Apeface "He's mine!" Before Apeface could land a blow on him, he was struck in the back by a torrent of machine gun fire. Apeface turned around and saw this as he prepared to respond to the attacks on him, but before he could a precise laser cannon blast exploded underneath him and sent him flying and he changed back to jet mode Hardhead came rushing up to the convoy and quickly began to administer first aid to his Captain.

"Good to see you still in one piece, captain!" He said as he periodically paused from field dressing Cerebros' wounds and firing his carbine and shoulder cannon.

"We came looking for you and the others. This isn't working, Scorponok knows we're here!" Cerebros explained, briefly. Hardhead finally finished dressing the punctures left by Apeface's teeth in his arm. "We have what we came for! Your Highness, we need to retreat!" Galen fired his pistols into the air at the Decepticons when he heard Cerebros' suggestion.

"Great idea! Everyone, fall back!" Galen, Duros, Hardhead, Cerebros, and the rest of the convoy made a swift tactical withdrawal from the area.

"Woohoo! They're fallin' back!" Apeface cheered. However, Slugslinger, still reeling from being kicked in his abdomen, pointed.

"No, you idiot, after them! Continue the pursuit!" He shouted with vigor. However, a voice came over his radio.

"Delay that order, Slugslinger" It was Scorponok, who was displeased with his course of action. "Pull out your forces and meet me at these coordinates."

"Yes-Yes, Captain!" Slugslinger replied. "You heard the captain! Head for the rendezvous point!" He and the rest of the strike team then changed to their jet modes and streaked away due southwest towards the planet's equator.

* * *

The Galen and his Guardsmen returned with the Autobots in tow to Koraja after a successful mission. "It pains me to do this, but I must contact the others and have them converge here on the capital." Cerebros reported in the after-action review of the mission to King Norren.

"Then we will work to provide your needs during your stay on this planet." King Norren replied.

"My crew and I are indebted to you, Your Majesty." Cerebros thanked the king. Cerebros adjusted his communicator to simultaneously transmit to all of his crew scattered across the planet.

"This is Captain Cerebros, hailing on all frequencies." He began "Our original plan has failed. In splitting up we have made ourselves easier targets for Scorponok and the Decepticons in pursuit of us. However, an alliance has been established with the natives of this planet. If we are to survive and escape offworld to continue our mission, I urge you to make your way to the capital city of Koraja in the Kora Province. I will be waiting for your return. Cerebros out."

"Do you think it worked?" Duros asked.

"I definitely hope so." Cerebros answered.

* * *

Several of Scorponok's shuttles were parked outside of one of Zarak's many vacation houses along the planet's equator, and inside were many Decepticons. Zarak, Scorponok, and their inner circles had all gathered together for a feast to celebrate their alliance. During this gathering, Scorponok got to know the side of Zarak which he kept hidden from the prying eyes of the Nebulan media. Though few knew it and even fewer had spoken of it, Zarak had developed a reputation for debauchery at his parties. Drug fueled orgies were common as well as mountains of food and gallons upon gallons of liquor, or in the pirates' case, energon. Skullcruncher gorged himself on Nebulan energon cubes while Scorponok's concubines danced for Flywheels.

"Yeeaaaaah!" He yelled with arousal. While all of this was happening, Scorponok and Zarak were formally drawing up the terms for their alliance.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but you want to attack Splendora and outfit us with these...modifications you've been going on about?" Zarak wondered.

"Binary bonding has shown its potential." Scorponok explained "It was developed by one of the greatest scientific minds Cybertron has to offer." He was referring to Shockwave, who also proved the existence of the Combiner Gene in Cybertronians. "Once we attack Splendora, your dukedom, it will sway the people against the king to force him to abdicate. They will sympathize with you after this and call for your coronation to fill the power vacuum. I have studied your laws of inheritance and have found a way to install you as the king even though the sitting monarch has an heir." Scorponok then projected the clause of the Holless Charter, the founding document of the planetwide kingdom which specified that in the event of an emergency where the king is incapacitated, abdicates, or is otherwise unfit for rulership and that his heir is below the age of twenty one Nebulan-years, the throne will be inherited by the oldest elligible successor. That successor was Zarak, though the real power would be held by Scorponok, with him acting as little more than a puppet.

* * *

Light years away on Earth, Optimus Prime had once again changed his paintwork to that of dark grey and blue to throw off American military surveillance drones, as well as disabling his communicator. He kept his trailer with him as he cruised down the highways from Washington, heading west towards a little farm in Missouri. After days of driving, he entered the sleepy town of Cullen Missouri after exiting off of US Highway 40, wound his way through the maze of dirt roads out into the countryside until he arrived at a familiar white farmhouse. John-Richard Ericsson was preparing to leave on the 4440 with a harrow for cutting firebreaks when he saw the dark grey semi truck with a lighter grey trailer pull in. The tractor then unhooked from the trailer and changed into Optimus Prime's robot mode, prompting the young man to gasp as he shut off the tractor and hop down to greet his old friend. "Optimus, you're back!" He exclaimed...


	3. Conspiracy

**Previously on Tales of the Transformers-**

**After realizing the failure of his plan, Cerebros has sent out a rallying call to his Autobot crew scattered across the planet Nebulos. As the Autobots regroup to plan out a new strategy to escape the planet, Scorponok makes a deal with Lord Zarak, setting a calculated plan into motion with the aim of installing the Nebulan Lord as the king of the planet and the Autobots and their ship into Scorponok's claws with their destruction a certainty. Meanwhile on Earth, Optimus Prime has returned to the farmstead of the Ericsson family, intent on getting to his ship, the Ark, to send out a call for help to Cybertron with the intent of delivering the Autobots from the captivity of M.E.C.H...**

* * *

"Optimus, you're back!" John Richard exclaimed. Optimus knelt down to speak with him. However, the young man remembered his speech during the show at Joint Base Andrews and was hesitant. "Did you really mean what you said on TV?" He wondered. Optimus looked downtrodden, knowing his response.

"In a way, yes." He told him. Before he could continue, Richard and Robert drove up in their pickup and saw Optimus standing before them. Richard was awestruck at seeing Optimus back on the farm after he had betrayed the Autobots to the government.

"Optimus...Prime." He murmured in awe. Seeing him after what he had done to the Autobots after having made his farm their home was enough to make him break down in tears. To think that after he betrayed them as easily as he did, yet Optimus returned to the farm. Richard came up to Optimus and started to weep in his hand. The boys had never seen their father like this as he fell apart. "I'm sorry I betrayed you. This is all my fault." Optimus retracted his mask and spoke to him in a gentle voice.

"Do not blame yourself, Richard. You were only doing what was best for your family." Optimus comforted him.

"But the Autobots...they were almost like a family to me, and yet I sold you out to the government." Richard came back. "Why are you even here?"

"I must get to the Ark and call Cybertron for help if the rest of the Autobots on this planet are to be freed." Optimus explained. Richard looked at his son, knowing what had happened since the government had taken the Autobots.

"The Ark's been locked down since you guys left. There's all sorts of defenses that the Army's put up around it. We don't know what they can do because we've been too afraid to get close to them." Richard explained. "Me and the boys have to get back to work. You can stay under the shelter with the combine and the silage wagons." Richard told Optimus as he and his sons then went back to work. Optimus made himself at home and after backing his trailer into the shelter he changed to robot mode and propped himself up against it, crossing his legs to take a snooze, all while he thought about his plans to gain entry to his ship. He turned on his communicator, but changed the settings to cloak his position and avoid detection. Prowl was on patrol in the desert around Area 51. He sped along in his police car mode, scanning for unusual activity when his communicator bleeped. He answered the call and was shocked to find out from whom.

"Prowl, this is Optimus Prime." Optimus said. Prowl screeched to a stop, changed to robot mode, and answered.

"Optimus! Thank Primus, you're alright!" He said, relieved.

"Good to see you, old friend; I need your help. I have returned to the Ericssons' farm to access our ship and inform Cybertron of what has happened. I need you to access the defense systems which have been placed around our ship and disable them yourself or procure the means for us to do the same."

"Right! I'll do what I can to help. Please! You must hurry and call Magnus! They've set up a new unit called Skywatch that I'm in command of and our job is to hunt down and, if necessary, kill you." Prowl replied, informing Optimus of the developments in Area 51. "Help me, Optimus! I'm not sure if I'm strong enough to resist them." Optimus, seeing the worry in his lieutenant's words, comforted him.

"Do what you know is right. It is your gift." He replied, sagely.

"Thanks. I'll get to work immediately." Prowl said.

"Till all are one." Optimus told him, signing off.

"Till all are one." Prowl responded. He deleted the transmission from his communications log and the backup, then he changed back to vehicle mode to resume his patrol

* * *

He returned a while later and was confronted by Captain Lennox. "Prowl. Explain why you didn't check in during your patrol this afternoon." The captain ordered.

"My apologies, sir. I was investigating something, a rock formation that was very eye-catching, sir." He explained, quickly. Apparently, Captain Lennox was content with his lieutenant's response.

"What of your efforts to find Optimus Prime?" He asked. Prowl began to break into a sweat almost. After having spoken with him over an encrypted transmission he knew Optimus' exact location, but instead replied, blankly,

"We're still scanning the eastern seaboard, sir and there's no sign of him."

"I don't want excuses, I want results! Or else the General will have both our heads!" Captain Lennox snapped, annoyed. In the three weeks since the disaster at Joint Base Andrews, the U.S Military was diverting a sizable portion of their resources to locating and capturing Optimus. Prowl however, was determined to weaken their search efforts from within, where no one would be suspecting.

"Y-yes sir!" Prowl replied. Shaken by his encounter with his superior, he was nonetheless undaunted to continue his efforts in the hope that they would bear fruit. He went to Wheeljack for help with his plan. "Wheeljack. We need your help." He said.

"We?" He wondered. Prowl leaned in and whispered into his ear.

"I've made contact with Optimus. He finally made it back to the farm and he's trying to get into the ship so he can use Teletraan to call Ultra Magnus for help." Wheeljack's eyes were wide with disbelief. "He needs us to try and remotely disable the defenses around the ship or at the very least soften them up. If anyone can get him in, it's you." Prowl trusted his technical expertise to get Optimus into the Ark as their sparks depended on it.

"I'll see what I can do." Wheeljack replied. Nearby, Jetfire heard this conversation and was alarmed of this. He had to tell Captain Lennox and General O'Malley of this at once lest he be complicit in their mutiny, though he himself also sympathized with Prowl. There was a feeling of unrest stirring within the remaining Autobots held captive in Area 51. The prospect of having to kill their leader if ordered to do so did not sit well with anyone, but given how they had watched Brawn be gunned down in mere moments when they were captured upon returning from Cybertron they were bound by fear to serve the humans. Jetfire decided that he would tell on Prowl for talking of aiding the fugitive Optimus, but remain intentionally vague as to the identity of the renegade. In the meantime, Wheeljack, with the help of Cliffjumper, was able to stealthily break through the firewalls around the Department of Defense's computer systems and obtain an encryption bypass card which Optimus and the humans could use to deactivate the Ark's defenses as well as the schematics for the defense array itself. Wheeljack then converted and encrypted the bypass key into a file which he could transmit over a frequency which only certain members of Autobot high command were authorized to transmit on provided by Prowl. The entire process took about thirty minutes, but to the two Autobots it seemed to take an eternity as they feared one of their human captors would catch them in the act. "And...send!" Wheeljack said.

"Nice going!" Cliffjumper congratulated as they fist bumped.

* * *

On the farm, Optimus' communicator blinked and projected from it the encrypted file which Wheeljack had sent him.

"Well done, Prowl." Optimus said to himself. Now that his plans to get into the Ark were in place, it was time to put them in motion. He approached the farmhouse and gently tapped the window of Richard's bathroom. He was shaving when this happened and the noise startled him such that he cut himself. "Ow!" He exclaimed, covering the cut with a piece of toilet paper. He looked and saw Optimus looking into the bathroom window. "What? What is it?" He asked. He put down his piece of toilet paper to open the window.

"I now have a plan to disable the defenses around the Ark. Gather your sons and we will discuss it under your shop."

"Uhh, yeah, sure!" Richard replied. Richard gathered the boys and met Optimus under the shop just as he had instructed him. To explain it he then pulled up the projection of the encryption bypass key that Prowl and Wheeljack had clandestinely worked to procure for him.

"The Autobots which remain in Area 51 have just transmitted this encryption bypass key." He explained.

"Alright!" Robert cheered. John-Richard, however, was confused.

"Why do you even need this thing?" He asked "Can't you just fly over it with that super trailer armor you've got?"

"According to the data on the defense array the Ark is surrounded by an electric fence with enough voltage to kill humans and temporarily short out Cybertronian circuitry as well as computer-controlled turrets with heat beam cannon, calibrated to fire at the sight of any moving object larger than two meters with a velocity of more than three point five meters per seconds in a ten meter radius. The array itself is powered by a miniature nuclear reactor housed in a small structure outside of the ship but within the fenced area. If the system is triggered it will send a signal directly to M.E.C.H's headquarters and a response team will be mobilized via a ground bridge uplink directly to the ship through Teletraan 1." Optimus explained.

"So you're saying they've also got control of Teletraan 1?" John-Richard admitted.

"See boys, your mom and my taxes pay for dicey stuff like this." Richard remarked, cynically. "Also, I'm willing to bet the doors are locked to that generator house, so take these. I'm sure you know the wrench trick." He told his son as he handed him a pair of three quarter inch wrenches.

"One of the abilities which my armor grants me is that of flight. Using this, I will fly over the perimeter and insert one of you as close as possible to the generator. Wheeljack also provided a shutdown command which synchronizes the security terminal inside the generator house with Teletraan 1 to neutralize the grid itself while continuing to transmit an 'all-clear' signal. It has been coded onto this memory chip that is compatible with your technology." Optimus continued.

"Dad and I'll join you once the grid is down." John-Richard added. The team was ready to execute their plan to get back into the Ark and right the wrongs dealt to the Autobots by the U.S government.

* * *

While Optimus and the humans planned at the farm, Jetfire, compelled by his desire to survive while in the captivity to the humans, reported to Captain Lennox and General O'Malley his findings which would implicate Prowl, Wheeljack, and Cliffjumper in crimes against the government. The Autobots were not regarded as citizens of the United States and therefore had no rights, merely property of the government. The problem, however, was that this property was sentient. What would be done with them after the high command was told of this? "Sirs!" Jetfire said, standing at attention as he addressed the two officers when they came to check on the Autobots.

"At ease." Captain Lennox told him. Jetfire did as asked and delivered his report.

"It's come to my attention that Optimus has found sympathy within the ranks of the Autobots that remain in this facility." He told them. He felt as though a huge weight was lifted from his shoulders, that somehow ratting out his comrades would improve his chances of surviving.

"Who? Who are the ones responsible for this?" Captain Lennox questioned him "Answer me or you will face charges of aiding a fugitive as well." This was where his loyalty to Optimus and the others stepped in.

"I...don't know sir." Jetfire answered. Captain Lennox and General O'Malley looked at one another. Their expression was one that Jetfire was being truthful.

"Captain Lennox, open an investigation into this matter immediately. Perhaps if we act quickly a lead to the fugitive will present itself." General O'Malley told his Captain.

"I understand, sir." He answered. "Dismissed." He told Jetfire. Jetfire then gulped, realizing what he had gotten himself into and the potential for lives lost if the absolute worst were to come to pass...

* * *

On Nebulos, Zarak was overseeing the preparations for his grand plan to take the throne. Members of Scorponok's pirates were gathered at the equatorial vacation home of the Duke which he and Zarak used as a base. Strangely, no one had looked into this. This sprawling mansion was located on an island in the sea of A'koa and therefore accessibility from outsiders was highly restricted. Zarak went to speak with Grax, another member of his inner circle. "Is everything on schedule?" He asked.

"Yes your lordship." Grax replied. Zarak had made a deal with Scorponok to undergo a process known as Binary bonding, but the specifics of the procedure were hidden from him, though he had gone to great lengths to conduct research on this under the guise of studying Cybertronian society as a token of reciprocation between the two factions. His only option at the moment was to go along with the pirate captain, a proposition he was not fond of.

"Scorponok and his pirates will be quite useful to us for wresting control of the throne, but I fear that he has his own agenda in mind." He said. "I have a contingency plan. This binary bonding process is designed for the two participating life forms to share equal control over their shared form. Should our goals diverge I have developed a code which, when activated, grants us full control over the Decepticons' bodies." Grax was pleased with this. First a title of nobility and a new Cybertronian partner would be his when he expected Zarak to ascend the throne. Zarak was indeed pleased with his guileful manipulation of those around him to get what he desired.

* * *

Scorponok was doing the same, but rather than satisfy his own ends he was merely a part of a much larger design. He was speaking to Shockwave, who was on Chaar, over a subspace communicator. "The Autobots have regrouped in the capital. When we found their ship the long range transmitter looked to have been destroyed. I assume they sent a distress call to Cybertron before abandoning it, Commander." He told him.

"I agree. Assuming this is their course of action, Ultra Magnus will no doubt send a task force to retrieve them, drawing a portion of his forces away from Cybertron." Shockwave said. In preparation for his plan to use Trypticon as a weapon with which he would lay siege to Cybertron to rescue Megatron from Autobot captivity, some softening up of Cybertron's planetary defenses was necessary. The easiest way to do this, as his hope was to maintain the element of surprise, was to simply create a diversion which would draw his forces away.

"How goes Trypticon's restoration to operational condition?" Scorponok asked.

"Repairs are eighty-five percent complete." Shockwave responded, flatly.

"I have some business dealings to finish here on Nebulos. A plucky duke is unknowingly delivering his world into my hands, and when I am finished my crew and I will join you for the attack on Cybertron."

"It seems your priorities are organized. I hope you will accept my admiration of those qualities as forgiveness for you stealing the Master System from me. I hope I will not have to rescind this act of clemency." Shockwave told him, sternly. As the de-facto leader of the Decepticons, Shockwave was tasked with the tedious job of holding together the confederacy of warlords which comprised the Decepticon army, ruling over them through fear. The stage was set for war between the Autobots and Decepticons to take a dangerous new turn...

* * *

Scorponok's assumption was right. On Cybertron, at Autobase Iacon, Ultra Magnus and Nightbeat were studying a map of the currently embattled city-state of Nuon. Decepticons had recaptured it and now plans were already underway to liberate it once more. However, as the two Autobots discussed their strategy, a message suddenly appeared. "What's this?" Nightbeat wondered.

"A distress signal. Put it through." Ultra Magnus said. Nightbeat opened the message and it was the distress signal sent by Cerebros.

"This is Captain Cerebros of the _Steelhaven_ calling Cybertron. My crew and I are being pursued by Decepticon pirates and are running low on fuel. We have been forced to land on the planet Nebulos with heavy damage to our ship as well. Please send backup as quickly as possible." Cerebros' recorded voice said. Ultra Magnus quickly radioed Kup.

"Kup, I need you to put together a team. A exploratory crew is stranded on a planet called Nebulos and they need our help, fast." Kup was on the other side of Autobase Iacon disciplining a young Autobot when he received his message.

"Understood, sir." Kup said. He turned to his victim. "Get up! I'm not through with you yet!" He boomed, harshly. The young Autobot was red, orange and yellow with flame decals on his chest. He had triple exhaust pipe blasters on his wrists and a yellow cape of a spoiler protruding from his back and his name was Hot Rod...


	4. Rising Tensions

**Optimus Prime and the Ericssons prepare to mount a daring incursion into the heavily fortified perimeter surrounding the Autobots' ship, the Ark, to send a distress call to Cybertron and rescue the Autobots still held captive within Area 51 with the help of Prowl and others within the mysterious American compound. However, unbeknownst to all, Jetfire informs M.E.C.H's commanders of these developments in an effort to survive himself, but also ensure the survival of his friends. On Nebulos, Cerebros' Autobot crew have finally regrouped as the time draws closer to an inevitable conflict between the factions on the planet...**

* * *

Many light years away, Cerebros, the captain of another Autobot expeditionary crew stranded on an unknown world, had successfully gathered his crew after sending out a transmission calling for them to converge on the seat of the Nebulan throne for them to strategize how they might best escape the planet with the help of the Nebulan crown. What they did not realize, however, was that his broadcast was intercepted by Grax, a telecommunications tycoon and one of Zarak's closest associates. "My lord, you might want to look at this." He told Zarak at his vacation home on the equator. He held in his hand a small projector disk which then emitted a projection of Cerebros' transmission to his crew. "It looks like the Autobots are grouping up again."

"And that idiot nephew of mine has thrown in with them, but it will mean nothing once I'm king!" Zarak said, clenching his fist. Grax was a bit taken aback by this.

"No disrespect, your lordship, but the prince-he's your own flesh and blood." Grax said, almost defending Zarak's nephew. Hearing this made Zarak uneasy. All he wanted was to take the throne from his nephew and for no harm to come to him. He pushed these thoughts aside as he set his mind to other, more pressing concerns.

"Then we must accelerate preparations. Gather the others!" Zarak thundered.

"R-right, your lordship!" Grax replied, timidly. Scorponok, Mindwipe, Weirdwolf, Skullcruncher, Snapdragon, Apeface, Misfire, Slugslinger, Triggerhappy, Demolishor, and Snowcat gathered together on one of the Decepticons' pirate shuttles, and joining them were Zarak, Grax, Monzo, Vorath, Spasma, Krunk, Blowpipe, Nightstick, Aimless, Fracas and Caliburst.

"The binary bonding process, or as we call it the Master System, is an advent of Cybertronian technology wherein an organic life form is bonded to a Cybertronian. In short, a form of techno-organic symbiosis." Zarak explained, showing a projection of the process in action. "This process will be instrumental in Lord Zarak's bid for the throne of this planet, but since I am gracious enough to provide this technology in his rise to power, I will decide the terms of our agreement!" He paused, turning to the five beastforming members of his crew. "You five will undergo the Master Process with your heads." Once again, the discrimination against beastformers even outside the regular Decepticon army's structure was apparent. The other five with normal vehicle modes were next. "As for you five, your weapons will undergo the procedure. Zarak and I will undergo the procedure." The Decepticons thus prepared to undergo the necessary modifications for binary bonding to occur. Fifteen hours later, after copious amounts of surgery on the Nebulans and extensive modifications to both groups of Decepticons, the modifications were complete. Zarak was the first to awaken from the surgeries. Installed along his spinal cord was a flat pod which housed the retractable suit of armor that formed his Decepticon partner's head, though Scorponok was still undergoing the process. The others were also slowly regaining consciousness after the anesthesia wore off. He could feel the power surge through his veins.

"Headmasters, TRANSFORM!" He boomed. Grax, Monzo, Vorath, Spasma, and Krunk all leaped into the air, dozens of times higher than a normal Nebulan could and activated their Master Armor as they then transformed into the heads of Skullcruncher, Weirdwolf, Mindwipe, Snapdragon, and Apeface. The Decepticons moved their bodies around.

"Hmm. I don't feel much different." Skullcruncher commented. Weirdwolf lost his balance as he toppled over.

"Watch it, fleabag!" Monzo scolded his partner.

"Do about it, what are you?!" Snarled Weirdwolf in reply. As the Decepticon headmasters and their partners acquainted themselves with one another, Zarak pinched the bridge of his nose at their evident lack of cohesion.

"Targetmasters, TRANSFORM!" He then called to the others. The remaining five sat up and got off of their circuit slabs, jumped and changed to their weapon modes in midair, finally landing in their partners' hands. Nightstick, Fracas, Aimless, Caliburst, and Blowpipe landed in Snowcat, Demolishor, Misfire, Slugslinger, and Triggerhappy's hand respectively.

"The name's Nightstick! I hope ya like busting heads, haaha!" He snarled with enthusiasm.

"Oh indeed I do! Autobot heads for that matter!" Agreed Snowcat as he brandished his partner in weapon mode. Zarak grinned as his plans for claiming the throne as his own began to come together.

"Now, prepare to attack! You will depart immediately. When the attack begins, remain in your robot forms to avoid suspicion." Zarak told the Decepticon Headmasters and Targetmasters.

"You heard him! Let's go!" Grax repeated to them. The Headmasters and Targetmasters obeyed his command, transforming to their vehicle and beast modes and mobilizing for their attack on Splendora.

* * *

On Earth, Optimus and the humans arrived and held their position within 100 feet of the Ark's security grid. While Optimus prepared to insert Robert inside the grid to deactivate it from within, Richard and John Richard sat, waiting in the Ranger to join Optimus on the other side of the grid. "Wish me luck." Robert said as he stepped into Optimus' palm. Optimus then stepped back and with a burst of air he jetted skyward.

"Hold on!" Optimus told his passenger. Robert apparently needed no direction for that as he clung to Optimus' thumb. They were 300 feet above the Ark and directly over the generator housing as Optimus then used his boot jets do slow his descent. Robert looked down at the generator housing and shivered. He must have been at least 50 feet above the ground. He was used to climbing atop grain bins to shovel snow off their roofs during wintertime, but this was on another level. Nonetheless, he gathered his courage, tied the rope around Optimus' finger and he was lowered down into the perimeter. Richard watched his youngest son descend with a pair of binoculars all the way in until his feet touched the ground.

"That's my boy!" He chortled as the first phase of their plan was complete. Robert was inside the Ark's perimeter and he made his way to the door. Seeing that it was padlocked, he took out his two wrenches and snapped the lock bolts, gaining entry into the housing It was dark, illuminated only by red lights and the various monitors. The generator housing was about half as small as the shop, divided into two sections. One was the control room, housing the interface for the reactor powering the security systems, and another controlled the security systems themselves. Robert searched for a moment until he located the master control panel and a USB terminal, and he quickly inserted it into the port. "

"First try!" He said to himself, and automatically the monitors indicated that the generator and all of the security systems save for the transmitter sending the all clear transmitter had shut down. Outside, Optimus and the others saw this as the turrets set up around the perimeter drooped down and the fence's hum of electricity ceased.

"Somebody just got a PS4 for their birthday! Let's hit it!" Richard said as he gunned the Ranger's engine and Optimus finally set down inside the perimeter with a thud, and since the wires were no longer hot he tore through the chain link fence to allow the others to enter. Optimus was glad that the mission had thus far been a total success as he and the rest of his human accomplices converged on the bridge of the Ark. What they did not realize was that after Robert left the Ark, something went wrong with the shutdown signal...

* * *

On Nebulos, the Decepticon pirates arrived on the outskirts of Splendora, the city for which Zarak's dukedom was named. "Decepticons, attack! Kill! Pillage! Destroy!" Skullcruncher shouted as the commander of the mission. With his orders, the Decepticons then roared into the city and did just that.

"Run!" Random people exclaimed as the pirates' attack began.

"You can run, but you can't hide!" Snowcat cackled as he fired a volley of concussion blasts from Nightstick, vaporizing dozens of bystanders in a single attack. Slugslinger screamed in with his guns blazing and releasing his payload of cluster bombs and missiles. Weirdwolf kicked over a row of parked cars and trampled them all. Zarak watched with glee as news reports of the Decepticons' attack began. About an hour later, at the seat of the throne, Cerebros had finally gathered together the rest of his crew in the courtyard of the palace. "I didn't think I'd be seeing you all so soon!" Remarked Chromedome. Cerebros chuckled at this.

"Indeed." He concurred "Firstly, I'd like to welcome you to Koraja, the seat of the Nebulan throne. This is His Highness, Prince Galen, and His Majesty, King Norren." The two most powerful men on Nebulos were introduced to the Autobot crew.

"It is a pleasure to host the Autobots here in your search. Please stay as long as you need." The king told them. Before he could say anything else, Duros ran up to the king and his son.

"Your majesty! Your majesty!" He called as he ran up to them. The king and the prince turned to hear him deliver his report. He bowed to them both and quickly delivered his report. "Splendora! The Decepticons-they're attacking!" He panted. The Autobots and Nebulans all looked at one another in dismay, all shocked that this had happened.

"Your majesty, this looks like a job for my crew and I." Cerebros said, urgently.

"There's too many of them! It's practically suicide!" Duros protested. Cerebros had yet to mention to them that since landing on their planet he and his crew had encountered Scorponok and his pirates, being relentlessly pursued by them for close to ten years before then.

"We have experience with these pirates. We will pay forward the kindness you have extended to us, your majesty." Cerebros said to the king. King Norren pondered this for a moment.

"Very well. You may proceed." He agreed.

"I have one more request." Cerebros continued, but Galen also had something to say on the matter. When he was captured and briefly held hostage by one of the Decepticon pirates pursuing Cerebros on the day they met, Galen noticed a particular aura about them that resembled his uncle, Zarak's. It seemed far fetched to him, but what if Zarak was in league with Scorponok and his pirates and was orchestrating this attack as a means of taking the throne for himself?

"I'll come with you. Something doesn't seem right. Duros, mobilize every guardsman you can and meet us at Splendora!" Galen said.

"Yes, your higness!" Duros replied. Cerebros turned to the Autobots,

"Autobots, it's time to roll out!" He ordered, and with that the Autobots changed to their vehicle modes in a roar of clattering parts and engines firing. Galen then boarded Cerebros and he lead the Autobot convoy northeast to confront the attackers and when they arrived they saw the trail of destruction left by the Decepticons. Vehicles were wrecked, buildings were smashed, rubble lay in the streets, and bodies littered the scene. The scene was horrifying as the stench of death was ripe in the air. Royal Guard units had arrived in the city some time before Galen and were beginning search and rescue efforts to find survivors and retrieve bodies. "Your Highness, for your safety I recommend you stay behind and coordinate efforts with the guardsmen. My crew and I will fight the Decepticons." Cerebros told the Prince. Galen had no quarrel with this plan and agreed that he would be in a position to do more good with them than the Autobots.

"Looking for us?" Came a voice. The Autobots all changed to robot mode and grouped up as Decepticon pirates lead by Skullcruncher and Grax surrounded them...

* * *

Back on Earth in Area 51, an airman manning a computer station received a signal and reported this to Captain Lennox. "Captain, the Ark is sending a strange signal." He phoned the Captain. Captain Lennox was at the shooting range practicing his marksmanship with his pistol when the airman contacted him.

"Copy that. I'll be there in a sec." He replied. After changing into his field gear he then mobilized Prowl, Bumblebee, Arcee, Skids, Ironhide, Hound, Smokescreen, Bluestreak, Ratchet, Sideswipe, and the Multiforce, the Autobots who had elected to form Skywatch. "Alright, Skywatch, we've just picked up a transmission from from your ship and we're going to investigate it." He briefed the group of their plans. Prowl hid it as best as he possibly could, but the worst had come to pass; armed confrontation against Optimus was certain as well as the near certainty that either he or members of his team could be killed in the battle to come. At the Ark, Richard, John Richard, and Robert watched intently as Optimus powered up Teletraan 1 and prepared to activate the long range communications array when suddenly a light appeared behind them from a swirling green vortex as Captain Lennox, as well as Autobot and a platoon of Army Special Forces soldiers emerged from it. The Autobots then saw Optimus for the first time in weeks as Lennox shouted, pointing his rifle at Optimus.

"PUT YOUR HANDS UP AND FACE ME! IF YOU COMPLY THEN NO HARM WILL COME TO YOU!" Optimus raised his hands and slowly turned around to face the strike team, as did the humans, who were sure to be arrested as well. This was the moment Prowl was waiting for.

"I won't let you!" He shouted, defiantly as he then ran out from the crowd and stood between Optimus and the others...


	5. The Die is Cast

**The battle lines are drawn on Earth and Nebulos! Optimus Prime, with the help of the Autobots' human allies, has successfully infiltrated the Ark in an effort to send a distress signal to Ultra Magnus and the Autobots of Cybertron to rescue the remaining members of his crew held within Area 51, but their presence was detected and the sinister new group known as Skywatch has arrived to stop them. On Nebulos, Galen, Cerebros, and his Autobot crew have arrived in Splendora to put a stop to an attack being carried out by Scorponok's pirates, and much more will be at stake when their true intentions are revealed...**

* * *

"Looking for us?" Skullcruncher asked as a large group of Decepticon pirates gathered and surrounded them. "There's no escape, Autobot filth!"

"That's where you're wrong!" Hardhead roared, defiantly as he fired a blast from his shoulder cannon, prompting his crewmates to add to this with a torrent of blaster fire of their own. Despite being outnumbered, the Autobots fought with every ounce of strength and determination in them. Cerebros tore through one pirate after the next with his handheld machine guns, Hardhead stabbed another with his combat knife and used him as a shield and then a battering ram, knocking one over and blasting both of their heads off with one shot with his powerful shoulder cannon. Brainstorm and Highbrow changed to their vehicle modes to try and give their crewmates air support, but the Decepticons had air superiority over the embattled city.

"Step off, Autobots! These skies are ours!" One pirate in his jet mode declared to the Autobots.

"Said who?" Brainstorm retorted. He cut his engines and allowed them to overtake him, then he fired his scatter cannon which blew several of the airborne pirates out of the air at the same time, painting the sky with plumes of black smoke trailing down as they hit the ground and exploded. Cog unleashed a hail of missile blasts, blowing apart more pirates from a distance and gunning down survivors with his pistol.

"There's...So...Many of them!" He growled to Cerebros as he slammed one pirate into the ground and shot him in the face before picking him up and knocking over several more.

"Thanks for the update, Cog!" Cerebros replied, cynically. "But we have to defend this city, even if there's only just six of us!"

"I don't like those odds!" Cog said. Close by, Galen, Duros, and the Royal Guard divisions that had been mobilized to respond to the incident were doing everything they could to evacuate people from the war zone. Injured bystanders were being helped and carried to awaiting transports.

"Thank you, Your Highness." One man said, graciously to the prince as two soldiers helped him to an armored transport marked as a battlefield ambulance.

"I'm just doing what's good for my people." Galen said to the man, humbly. "But I wish I could be doing more." Reports of gunfire between the Autobots and Decepticons could be heard all throughout the city. Cerebros had only five other Autobots helping him fend off the pirates. There had to be something he could do to even the odds. One Royal Guardsman who had been crushed under a pile of rubble while getting people out from a collapsing building dropped his rifle within inches of where his hand poked out from the debris. "Rest easy, soldier. I hope you don't mind me borrowing this." Galen said as if the corpse of the guardsman to whom the weapon belonged would have any objections. "Duros, gather your men and as many armor assets as you can. We're going to launch a frontal assault on those Decepticons and help Cerebros." He turned to the Colonel of the Guards. Even if he wanted to, Duros could not deny the Crown Prince's request.

"At once, your highness! Come on, men! Follow His Highness and move out!" He barked to the Royal Guardsmen nearby, and sure enough they scrambled to muster up a force with which to launch a counterattack on the marauding pirates.

* * *

Back on Earth, Captain Lennox, Prowl, and Skywatch had caught Optimus and his human accomplices in the act of trying to call for help from Cybertron, but before the arrests could be made, Prowl stood up to his commander and came to Optimus' defense, a move he had been planning since becoming privy to the idea of having to kill Optimus Prime should he not return to the custody of the American government. "I won't let you!" Prowl said, defiantly as he held out his arms to shield Optimus and the humans. "I'm sorry! I cannot go through with this in good conscience! All of the Autobots gathered here have known Optimus Prime for millions of years. We've served and fought alongside him against the evil of the Decepticons! Many have even given their lives for him! Loyalty to one another and to those we trust is what makes us Autobots! All of you are lying to yourselves if you think you can kill the leader of the free Cybertronian race on this man's orders! Optimus Prime has saved this planet and the people who inhabit it and would do it again without a second thought and you thank him by turning his own men against him?!"

"Saved?" Captain Lennox asked, condescendingly. "Do you call cities destroyed and innocents slaughtered saved? If he had really saved this planet do you think the battles between the Autobots and Decepticons would have ever been allowed to happen in the first place!? You're the one lying to yourself, Prowl if you think, Optimus Prime is saving anyone on this planet. He's no different than Megatron, really. He wants to save this planet so he can have it for himself!" Lennox said, knowing that what he was saying was completely false for the singular purpose of angering Prowl. "You're not going to get away with this! Kill them both!" However, the Autobots did not pull the triggers on their weapons.

"How dare you slander Optimus Prime like that." Ironhide growled in fury. "Prowl's right, we were all just too afraid to admit it!" He continued, turning to his comrades. "Who's with me?" With his words, all of the Autobots of Skywatch walked across to Prowl and stood firmly with him and their leader.

"You guys." Prowl murmured in awe. He collected his thoughts and then he deployed his riot shield, activating a built in magnetic field generator set to attract which yanked Lennox and the platoon of special forces soldiers' weapons from their hands. "Surrender, Lennox." Prowl suggested, fiercely as the Autobots and the Ericssons all faced them together. Lennox and his men timidly raised their hands to show their surrender they were shepherded to the detention area of the Ark.

* * *

In Area 51, Skywatch's nerve center noticed that Lennox had not yet reported back on his mission. "Where is Captain Lennox?" asked General O'Malley to one of the airmen manning a computer station.

"I don't know, sir." He replied, trying to establish contact with the outbound team. Suddenly, the large monitor in the command center blinked to life.

"Is this thing on?" Prowl asked. "Okay. General O'Malley...It's nice seeing you again. Have you been putting some new product in your mustache? I like it." He said in a playful tone.

"What's happened to Lennox?!" O'Malley demanded the Autobot.

"Don't get your undercarriage in a twist, General, the captain and all of his men are fine. We're keeping them here as guests aboard the Ark with all of their needs taken care of. We even have the esteemed Mrs. Sylvia Ericsson cooking for them." Prowl replied. General O'Malley was now visibly angry.

"Your plan failed, General. You can't stop the Autobot spirit. I think it's quite ironic that you, who swore an oath to defend the American values of liberty, justice, and what have you, are behaving much like one of the many tyrants that line the annals of your planet's history!" Prowl continued, gloatingly.

"Enough!" O'Malley said, slamming his fist down on the desk in front of him. "What do you want for them!?"

"What do I want? That's a question I think Optimus Prime will have to answer for you." Prowl replied. Optimus Prime then stepped in front of Teletraan 1's screen to address General O'Malley for the Autobots' demands.

"General O'Malley, as Autobot supreme commander I demand you release the rest of my crew from captivity and allow the Autobots to continue operating as a sovereign entity on this planet. In exchange we will return Captain Lennox and his men unharmed. You have made a grave mistake in turning the Autobots on this planet against one another, and in doing so you have made every human being on Earth vulnerable to attack from the Decepticons. We refuse to be treated as your playthings! We are not toys to be played with and disposed of as you like! We are living beings with the capacity to think and feel! We aspire to attain our own goals and fight for the values we believe in! Freedom is the right of all sentient beings, and you, who serve a nation built on such a concept, now thoughtlessly deprive others of theirs. You are a walking contradiction, unworthy of your status as a leader of men. Once you release my crew, apologize and resign your title as a General of the United States Army. They would be better off without you." Optimus said, passionately and Teletraan 1 then severed the connection, leaving a blank screen after it.

"Atta'boy, Optimus!" Ironhide bellowed in approval.

"Way to stick it to 'em!" Smokescreen added. The Autobots who returned to their leader's side were ecstatic after his heartfelt speech declaring war on General O'Malley. However, the implications of this cold war between Optimus and the American government now combusting with his speech were yet to be realized, as there would definitely be retribution for this act of war...

* * *

Back on Nebulos, Cerebros and his crew were being slowly worn down. Despite there only being six of them, they fought with every ounce of determination in them against Scorponok's pirates as they sacked Splendora. Thousands had been killed and the city was left in ruins, yet despite the destruction the Autobots fought on to stop their enemy. Hardhead, who was the most eager to get his fill in the battle, was running out of energy and ammunition. "I don't know..." He panted "How much longer I can...Keep this up!" He slit one pirate's throat and blinded another with the spray of energon before shooting him through the chest. "

"We have to keep fighting! We have no other option!" Chromedome said as he shot needle-like projectiles from his fingertips which impaled several through the face and chest as well as slashing off limbs. The Autobots were exhausted, and pirates could tell.

"What's the matter, Autobots? Getting tired?" Cackled Snowcat as he fired a string of concussive blasts which exploded all around Chromedome and threw him off his feet.

"Arggh!" Chromedome groaned as he was thrown back by the force of the explosion. The Autobots were surrounded on all sides by the pirates, who suddenly, inexplicably lowered their weapons. Skullcruncher, Wierdwolf, Mindwipe, Apeface, Snapdragon, and the Decepticon targetmasters confronted the six Autobots.

"Bravo, bravo!" Skullcruncher congratulated. "You've put up quite a fight, Autobots, but I'm afraid your precious little city is ours. For your valiant efforts you and your crew will be executed painlessly and mercifully. Take aim!" The Autobots had fought hard, but they had met their match. Just before the Cerebros and the Autobots were about to meet their match, however, there was a commotion as the sound of a tank cannon firing blew several pirates away. Emerging from one of the armored carriers' turret hatch was Prince Galen.

"No need to thank me, Cerebros!"

"ATTACK!" Duros roared. The Nebulan Royal Guard charged into battle and unleashed a barrage of firepower which mowed down many pirates and reinvigorated Cerebros and his crew.

"No, no, no, no, no!" Skullcruncher exclaimed, frantically. "Decepticons, retreat!" He exclaimed, and in his panic he changed to his crocodile mode and slithered away, revealing Grax as his headmaster partner who rode atop him on a saddle. The battle now went to the Autobots and their new Nebulan allies. To show their newfound strength as allies, Galen hopped into Cerebros' hand, who held the prince high above the ground and together they raised their fists, prompting an explosion of cheers from everyone who saw the display of solidarity. Galen wanted to make a heroic speech, but always had trouble coming up with one on the spot as he had never practiced, instead leaving his speech writers to the task instead. However, a speech wasn't needed. The Autobots defending them was enough to inspire hope in his subjects...

* * *

"We've failed. The attack on Splendora was repulsed when the Prince showed up with the big guns." Grax reported to Zarak when he and the survivors returned to their base. Zarak was furious with this turn of events. Everything he had hoped to accomplish would be destroyed and he would have to start all over again with his plans to seize the throne.

"Do not worry. There are still plenty of opportunities to depose Norren yet..." Zarak said as he turned. Before him an imposing form was taking shape. Scorponok was being modified, enlarged with massive new weapons systems and stronger armor. The Decepticons would have their revenge yet...

* * *

Another bid for retribution was taking shape, this time light years away on Earth. After the desertion and defection of all the Autobots who comprised of Skywatch, the void would quickly have to be filled, and General O'Malley knew who would do that. "You asked for me, sir?" Jetfire said as he approached the General, standing to attention.

"At ease, soldier." The General replied. "Yes. You were the one who told us about the mole in our ranks. It was Prowl who was in contact with Prime." Jetfire was afraid of what would happen to him now that his actions were known. "It was quite responsible for you to provide us with that information, but the fact that you hid their exact identity proves you still harbor sympathy for them. I'm going to remedy that by placing you in direct command of the new iteration of Skywatch. You will gather a strike force and launch another attack on the Ark immediately. It's apparent that they cannot be brought back, and since those assets cannot be reclaimed, they must be destroyed! In other words, kill them all, every last one!" Jetfire gasped, silently, but knew that his life was in terrible danger if he did not comply.

"Y-yes sir!" Jetfire replied as he rushed off to gather up a team. His worst fears had been realized as he now would be forced to kill his own friends...


	6. The Autobots' Darkest Day

**Tensions explode across space! Cerebros and his Autobot crew have emerged victorious against Scorponok's pirates in Zarak's bid to set off a chain reaction of events to eventually seat him atop the throne of Nebulos and now the Duke of Splendora must devise a new plan to seize power from his nephew. Meanwhile on Earth, Prowl and the Autobot members of Skywatch have defected back to Optimus Prime after his incursion to the Ark, capturing Captain Lennox and his men for use as leverage to free the rest of the Autobots still held in captivity in Area 51. However, Jetfire assembles a strike force of Autobots in preparation to carry out the unthinkable against his rogue comrades...**

* * *

"We all know what has to be done on this one." Jetfire said, grimly as he and the remaining Autobots gathered around a hologram projected from Wheeljack's eyepiece. They were studying Ark as well as the surrounding countryside in preparation for their attack on the Ark. "I'll lead the aerial assault to weaken their defenses. Hotspot, when that's done, you'll divide the ground element into two sections and advance on the Ark from both sides while the humans take them from the center. Our numbers are just such that we might be able to pull this one off. We have orders from the general, Prowl and the others cannot be reasoned with, and because of that they're to be taken as threats. Shoot to kill." Comprising the team was himself, Jazz, Sunstreaker, Mirage, Huffer, Cliffjumper, Blaster, the Aerialbots, the Protectobots, the Dinobots, Inferno, Trailbreaker, Tracks, Wheeljack, Red Alert, Gears, and Windcharger. All of them had to prepare themselves for the mission at hand, and accompanying them would be a division of Missouri National Guard troops and three Air National Guard fighter squadrons which were all given secret orders from O'Malley bypassing the Pentagon to mobilize at Fort Leonard-Wood and out of Whiteman Air Force Base, respectively, while the Autobots would be inserted in close proximity to the Ark by means of a backdoor uplink to the groundbridge which Wheeljack had previously only given Optimus Prime acces to, but upon revealing it to the military they forced him to change the codes and give them singular access to remotely operate the groundbridge. "Alright, let's move out!" The Autobots then readied themselves for the operation and a groundbridge portal opened to take them to their insertion point as they then changed to vehicle mode and roared into the portal.

* * *

At the Ark, Optimus and the Autobots were settling back into the Ark when Teletraan 1 flashed to life and showed multiple energy signatures closing in. "Optimus, Teletraan 1's picked up something! Multiple...Autobot energy signatures are closing at a high rate of speed. Seven are airborne and another sixteen are closing on the ground!" Prowl exclaimed.

"Huh?" The other Autobots wondered. Never before had this been reported by the ship's operating system.

"Skywatch has come to exact their vengeance and take back Lennox by force. Autobots, prepare for battle." Optimus said, urgently. If Jetfire's Autobots were uneasy about the prospect of having to launch an attack on their comrades, Optimus' were even more afraid of the prospect of having to fend off an attack.

"What's going on?!" John Richard exclaimed. He and his friends had only been back together with Bumblebee, Arcee, and Skids for one day when it seemed they would be catapulted back into chaos.

"Bumblebee, stay here with Ratchet and protect the humans! Everyone else, we must defend the ship!" Optimus boomed to the Autobots as they scrambled about to make ready for the threat facing them.

"Those Skywatch guys are persistent." Bumblebee insisted to the humans while Optimus, Prowl, Ironhide, Hound, and the others rushed outside to confront the enemy. Diving from the sun came Jetfire and the Aerialbots.

"Here they come!" Ironhide shouted. There was now a feeling of terror within the Autobots on the ground as they now had to fight against the most powerful Autobot flier in the galaxy. Regardless, Optimus' Autobots opened fire with an antiaircraft barrage against their foes. Jetfire, Silverbolt, Air Raid, Skydive, Slingshot, and Fireflight scattered to avoid the spray of fire spewing up at them.

"They're splitting up!" Skids exclaimed, worriedly. Indeed, the airborne Autobots could now attack from all sides. Hound fired a missile from his shoulder cannon which hit its mark, blowing off Slingshot's wing. The Aerialbot changed to robot mode as he plummeted down to the ground, rolling to break his fall.

"This'll hurt me a lot more than it'll hurt you, Hound!" He said, gruffly as he pointed his pistol at him. Hound, however, refused to be killed by a fellow Autobot and quickly charged at Slingshot, who fired several blasts but missed him. He then grabbed him by his wrist, twisted the weapon out of Slingshot's hand and threw him on the ground to subdue him, breaking his hand in the process.

"You're right, this did hurt you more than me." Hound replied. All of a sudden, a throwing star sliced through his shoulder, severing his left arm from his body and energon came hemorrhaging from the wound. "AAARGH!" He yowled in agony. Jazz then emerged out of the shrubbery and saw what he had done to his comrade.

"Hound!" He exclaimed.

"Why'd you do it, Jazz?" Hound gasped.

"I had to. They were gonna kill me if I didn't. I meant to aim for your spark but...I just couldn't do it." Jazz replied.

"If the Autobots of Earth are ever going to come back together...some sacrifices are going to have to be made." Hound said. "Go ahead and finish me off."

"Not a chance!" Jazz protested. The Cyberninja hoisted Hound over his shoulders and picked up his arm to carry him back to the Ark to find Ratchet, sprinting through the forest until they emerged out of the woods in the clearing of the Ark. Optimus, Ironhide, Prowl, Skids, Arcee, Sideswipe, Smokescreen, Dashtacker, Wingwaver, Machtackle, and Smokescreen were still blasting away into the air at Jetfire and the Aerialbots while the automated security defenses which Optimus and the Ericssons had bypassed to get into the ship were reactivated and set to fire upon their attackers for extra firepower.

"Jazz? I don't remember you joining from Skywatch." Ratchet remarked as Jazz carried Hound and his severed arm into the sickbay.

"I guess you had second thoughts too, huh?" Bumblebee chuckled. This brief moment of levity was enough to make the humans chuckle as the unthinkable battle raged on outside.

"Well, here I am. I was doing forward reconnaissance for the main ground element when I came across Hound. I couldn't go through with killing another Autobot, I just couldn't." Jazz replied.

"Well it's good to hear you've had a change of heart." Ratchet replied, gratefully. Jazz was equally glad, for his sake and Hound's, that he was able to come to the aid of his fellow Autobots. He left Hound to be tended to in the medical bay, then returned outside to deliver critical intelligence to Optimus and the others.

"Jazz!" Ironhide exclaimed. "Good to see ya ol' buddy!"

"Same. Optimus!" Jazz called over the roar of gunfire to Optimus Prime.

"Jazz! It is good to see you again." Optimus said, warmly.

"You too!" Jazz replied. He was well aware that the others were glad to have him back on their side. "I've got critical intel on Skywatch's plan of attack!"

"Explain!" Optimus said, wishing him to elaborate.

"Jetfire and the Aerialbots are only the first wave of the attack! They're softening us up so that their ground elements can move in for the kill! They've divided their forces into two groups and are gonna try and flank us from both sides while human military forces move in from the center to land the killing blow!" Jazz explained.

"Excellent. Were you present at the twenty-third battle of U'Bio-Zeta?" Optimus asked, hoping to draw upon past experiences to rally his troops.

"Twenty third? I wasn't aware there were so many, I lost track after the fifth!" Jazz replied as he pulled out his pistol and fired into the air.

"Regardless, the Decepticons used that very same strategy and it cost them eighty percent of the forces they committed to the assault!" Optimus replied in an uncharacteristically enthusiastic tone. Optimus had cemented his reputation as a steadfast commander of all Autobot forces across the galaxy at the helm of the 1st Autobot Battle Group, but times had changed. Jetfire and his Autobots were determined to break through the Ark's defenses in their mission to clear the way for Hotspot's ground forces and the human troops to follow, and to do that, he ordered Silverbolt,

"Silverbolt-You and your team get down there! We need Superion's power if Hotspot's troops are gonna break through!"

"We're on it!" Silverbolt said "Aerialbots, move in and merge!" Slingshot had come to and was nursing his wound when he heard Silverbolt's voice over the comm channel.

"I'm coming, guys!" He said as he changed to jet mode and darted off to rejoin his teammates.

"Aerialbots, form Superion! We need to take out those AA towers so Hotspot can come in with the big guns!" Silverbolt boomed to the Aerialbots, and they did just such as they transformed and combined into their shared form. Undaunted, Wingwaver turned to Machtackle and Tackerdash,

"Don't freeze up, form Landcross!" The three of them then separated into the individual Multiforce members before merging together into the awesome Landcross.

"I don't want to do this, Superion!" Landcross said to his friend. After fighting together on Cybertron against Tyrant and the Decepticons, it pained both combiners to do battle against one another like this.

"That makes two of us!" Superion agreed. "Superio-Burst! AIR CANNON!" He roared as he began with an opening salvo of air cannon shots, but Landcross waved his staff to create a wave of air pressure which dispelled the blasts.

"If you want to kill me, it'll take more than flicking your fingers!" Landcross taunted his opponent. Now it was his turn as he swung his staff again and again in an attempt to land a hit on Superion, but thanks to his aerial mobility, his attacks availed him not.

"I'm not here to kill you, not yet! I'm here to take out those AA turrets!" Superion said. Suddenly, a barrage of small arms fire from Optimus and the others pelted Superion from below. "Argh!"

"Thanks for the distraction, Landcross!" Skids thanked. Landcross then saw this as an opportunity to separate back into the Multiforce to join the others in laying down a massive volume of fire upon Superion to protect their anti-air assets, defeat the giant and capture them alive for extra leverage against them.

"Autobots, set weapons to stun! Break Superion up and capture the Aerialbots!" Optimus advised the Autobots. Jetfire witnessed from above what was happening and was rather distraught, but at the same time relieved with the hope that none of his comrades would die from his actions. He could barely stand to feel this way. Optimus Prime was the one true commander of the Autobots, yet Jetfire had allowed himself to be subjugated by weaker beings and made to do their bidding. He felt such shame for betraying his comrades and carrying out orders to kill them if he had to. Everything Optimus said in his speech was true, that the Autobots were not the playthings of humans and that what they had done was despicable. However, when he thought about taking his rightful place at Optimus' side again, the memory of Brawn being gunned down by the humans where he stood flashed through his processor. It was to serve as a reminder to them who was truly in command, and with that, if he was to survive himself, he would have to go through with his orders.

"HOTSPOT, BLASTER, ATTACK!" He shouted over the comm channel. Hotspot and Blaster, who had been tasked with leading the two groups of Skywatch Autobots, were hiding in wait on both sides of the Ericsson's property to the east and west with a large force of Missouri National Guard troops waiting in the forests to the south.

"What about the Ark's defenses!? We'll be creamed!" Hotspot protested.

"Yes, what about the Ark's defenses?" Came a voice. General O'Malley had just arrived at the forward headquarters of the 198th and 201st Infantry Regiments of the Missouri National Guard, and he was asking Jetfire about this.

"_**SCREW THE TURRETS! WE HAVE THE FIREPOWER AND THE NUMBERS TO BREAK THROUGH WITH A FULL FRONTAL ASSAULT!**__**!**__**ADVANCE AND ATTACK! ADVANCE! AND! ATTAAAAAAAAAAAACK!**_" Jetfire screamed furiously. Hotspot then signed off his communicator and motioned to his troops.

"You heard him, let's move out!" And move out they did, as did Blaster's troops and the rest of the human forces.

* * *

Down below, Superion was being pelted by Optimus' troops firing upon him, but he was able to jet back and out of the line of fire. "I'm sorry I have to do this, Optimus!" He said. "SUPERIO-BURST-SONIC BOOM!" Superion then clapped his hands together as he performed his trademark super-move on his comrades. The huge burst of wind knocked Optimus and his crew into disarray. A huge cloud of dust rose up from the clearing as dozens of trees had been snapped in half and uprooted all the same. Optimus and the Autobots began to come to when they realized that their defenses were down. At the same time, Hotspot, Blaster, and all of the rest of the Autobots came charging out of the forest.

"Autobots, retreat!" Optimus roared to his supporters.

"KILL THEM ALL!" Jetfire shouted as he transformed from his jet mode and landed to lead the assault on the Ark. Optimus then supplemented his blaster with his sword for close combat, then charged into battle against his fellow Autobots. They were trying to kill him, but rather than succumb to madness and kill his own troops, he went for arms and legs, hands at the most, or disarming them with kicks. "What is he-?" Jetfire wondered. He studied Optimus' fighting style and determined that he was being merciful and trying to do as little harm to his Autobots as possible while still incapacitating them.

"My worst nightmare..." Optimus boomed. "...Was the day that the Autobots would lose sight of our goals..." He slashed Cliffjumper across his legs and arms enough to disarm and immobilize him before blocking another attack from Mirage and precisely deflecting the shot back into his leg, making him fall flat on his face. "...And raise arms against our brothers!" He tried to convince Jetfire when he finally fought through all the other Skywatch Autobots.

"You saw what they did to Brawn, didn't you!? They can kill us! They can kill you!" Jetfire said.

"And they won't kill you when you've exhausted your usefulness for their own purposes?" Optimus asked, rhetorically.

"You don't understand what it's like to live in fear!" Jetfire said, trying to muster a credible argument, though their battle with words was about to get physical as Jetfire ignited the boosters in his feet and propelled himself towards Optimus.

"Do you realize who you are talking to?!" He replied as Jetfire tackled him and threw him through the woods and into a pond. "I have been gripped with fear every day of the past four million years! Every day I fear whether or not I will live to see the next! Even under such crushing pressure, I do not surrender to it! My fear does not control me! Do you know why?!" Optimus continued as he laid down a series of powerful punches and kicks on the Autobot Air Force Captain. Jetfire could never hope to defeat Optimus in servo-to-servo combat, his skills in that field of warfare were passable at best. The power he put into his attacks was unmatched, even if he did have the skills to spar with him. "The reason I find the courage to fight on, even when so much hangs in the balance..." Optimus panted "...Is because I have loyal soldiers and friends who are inspired to stand and fight with me." It had taken a long time, but Jetfire was in dire need of hearing those words after having lost his way. He paused from the combat and tears of lubricant began to pour from his receptors. He fell to his knees and began to weep before letting out a sorrowful howl at what he had wrought upon his fellow Autobots.

"Please, Optimus..." He whimpered. "Please forgive me." Optimus fell to his knees as well and held his former enemy in his embrace as he too began to weep at the state of what the Autobots had become. "It's the only way this can end."


	7. Boiling Point

**Previously on Tales of the Transformers-**  
**A full-scale war has broken out between the Autobots who defected from Skywatch to aid Optimus Prime and those who remain under the command of Jetfire. After inciting a rebellion against the United States military organization known as M.E.C.H, Optimus Prime fights for the freedom of the rest of his crew, but such a goal unfortunately has required that the Autobots raise arms against one another in a battle which he never hoped would come to pass and will only end with loss...**

* * *

Jetfire and Optimus were in the middle of reconciling their differences with one another in an attempt to end the Autobot civil war. "Jetfire, I have a plan that will bring unity to the Autobots once again. Listen closely." Optimus told him, and thus he laid out his plan to end the Autobot civil war which raged around them. Back at the Ark, Ironhide took the helm in his absence, rallying the remnants of Optimus' loyalists to push back against the onslaught of Skywatch Autobots lead by Hotspot and Blaster.

"Where's Optimus!?" He wondered aloud as he fought off Streetwise. Somehow, the Autobot rebels were still holding out against their assaulting comrades as the military's bid to reestablish dominance over their assets. If the Autobots could not return to government captivity and servitude, they would be destroyed without a second thought.

"How should I know?!" Skids retorted from a few feet away as he tussled with Groove in the dirt, punching him in the face until he was unconscious. "Sorry, buddy." He apologized.

"Keep up! Their defenses are breaking!" Hotspot called, rallying his troops to continue the assault. Ironhide watched as Hotspot, Blaster, and Silverbolt made one final push to capture the Ark and execute their former comrades. However, before they could get the chance to, a string of explosions lit up the forest, stopping everyone dead in their tracks as the ground gave way to a rising wall of fiery explosions. In the sky above, a figure was seen swooping in from above wielding a huge cannon in his right arm and a polearm in his left.

"It's Optimus!" Arcee exclaimed. Optimus had not only transformed into his Battle Armor mode, but had also used some of the residual energy to combine with Jetfire.

"And he's combined with Jetfire!" Jazz exclaimed. Optimus Prime then set down, his descent cushioned by the thrusters on his boots and on his wing pack, then he separated from Jetfire.

"Stand down, all of you!" Jetfire barked at his troops.

"What? What are you playing at, Jetfire?" Demanded Hotspot.

"The Autobot Civil War ends right here, right now!" Jetfire said. "Optimus and I have come up with a plan to free us, everyone! We're going to radio General O'Malley and tell him that the Ark is secure. Once he and the rest of the troops move in, we'll have them cornered. They may have superior numbers, but we have the firepower. I respect the humans, and I'm sure the rest of you do as well, but I refuse serve them and live in fear for any longer! We alone control our destiny!" The other Autobots were in agreement, and this rousing speech had rallied the remaining members of Optimus' crew to his side once more. The Autobots were reunited and thankfully, none had been killed in the fighting. Optimus was quite impressed with Jetfire's speech, even if it was somewhat short.

"General O'Malley" Jetfire said.

"What is it? Are the Ark's defenses down?" The General asked.

"Yes sir." Jetfire replied, lying. "Bring in the rest of the troops!"

"You heard him, move out!" General O'Malley boomed.

"Come on!"

"Let's go!" Shouted the soldiers to one another. M1 Abrams tanks revved up, followed by armored carriers and Humvees into the forest. When they arrived, they found the Autobots standing shoulder to shoulder with their weapons drawn and pointed at the human soldiers. This move surprised everyone, just as Jetfire and Optimus hoped. In a twist of fate, it would be the Autobots who would trick the humans into letting their guard down in order for a compromise to be reached. Optimus allowed himself to go along with this plan, as unsavory as it was, if it meant that Autobot lives would be spared.

"WHAT?!" General O'Malley exclaimed.

"I believe the term you're looking for, good general, is 'oof!'" Came Bumblebee after he and the humans had emerged from the Ark.

"General O'Malley, the Autobots no longer serve you. Your plot do divide us has failed. There is no possible route to victory. Our plot to deceive you was a necessary strategy, but what truly separates us from the Decepticons is the fact that we value the sanctity of the lives in our custody. If you order your men to stand down, we will release Captain Lennox and his men from captivity unharmed." Optimus explained. General O'Malley considered this for a minute. The United States had not had faced a situation like this since the Iran Hostage Crisis of 1979. However, rather than other humans holding American personnel hostage, these were extraterrestrials, who possessed an entirely different pattern of thought. Approaching the situation would be difficult.

"They can be replaced! Let them rot in the bowels of your flying saucer!" General O'Malley replied, boisterously.

"General, you and I both know that the optics of such a circumstance would be unfavorable both for the Autobots and the United States Government." Optimus said, staunchly declining the General's reply. "These are your fellow countrymen, General! You are unfit to call yourself a leader of men if you throw away their well being for the sake of your own pride." With every word he uttered, Optimus was making O'Malley boil with rage.

"That's enough! Take aim and kill them all! **EVERY! LAST! ONE!"** He roared at the soldiers. They raised their rifles and turrets whirred into position, all ready to fire specially-developed Cybertronian-killing rounds. Every gun barrel O'Malley could muster was trained upon Optimus Prime at a range of only seventy five yards from the clearing made by Superion's Sonic Boom attack from earlier. Even he could not hope to dodge or block so many attacks. The Autobots saw this and began to tremble with dismay. "_**OPEN FIRE!**_" Jetfire, before he even had time to react, jumped into the spray of bullets aimed at his commander and fired a burst of heat from his torch cannons to melt the oncoming rounds in midair. Every one of them was vaporized, except one 155 millimeter tank shell. That one shell escaped the intense heatwave somehow and tore through Jetfire's abdomen at an angle and exited out of his back and exploded, knocking back Optimus and many more Autobots in an huge explosion.

"JETFIRE!" Came a deluge of horrified voices. General O'Malley watched this scene unfold and he began to realize what he had just ordered. General Bradley Joseph O'Malley and Captain Jetfire of Middle Iacon both came from different planets, had different experiences, and held different values and opinions, but one thing connected them; both individuals agreed to serve a higher purpose, to fight for, and if necessary die for something they believed in. O'Malley had seen horrible things during his time as a soldier. He had seen the worst in humanity during the War on Terror in Afghanistan. He had taken the life of another human. He had ordered his men to do the same, yet to see these mechanical beings grieve over the loss of one of their own after it had so courageously jumped in to save the life of his commander, stirred something in him.

"Optimus..." Jefire murmured.

"I am here, old friend." Optimus said, holding the hand of his comrade. Firstaid set to work trying to control the flood of energon and various other fluids escaping the Autobot flier's gaping wound.

"Stay with me! Stay with me!" Firstaid urged him. General O'Malley and his men laid down their weapons and came up to the Autobots. The General was the first as he raised his hand to salute Jetfire, and his men and officers all followed their leader's example in a show of respect for him, even though the Autobots had deceived him.

"They're...doing this...for me?" Jetfire wondered, hazily. The loss of energon was causing him to slip in and out of consciousness as Firstaid's steady hands worked their best to try and heal him.

"Yes" Confirmed Optimus. "All for you." A tear of lubricant leaked from his eye. Optimus and the Autobots, honored by this display of respect, turned and faced the humans to salute them in return. Jetfire managed to raise a salute to his former captors as well.

"Don't stress yourself!" Firstaid said. It was a solemn time for all gathered before Jetfire. M.E.C.H relented and released the Autobots from captivity in exchange for Captain Lennox and his men being held hostage within the Ark. Ratchet and Firstaid were able to save Jetfire's life, but the damage was extensive. There were fears that he may never be able to fly again. The government extended an official apology to the Ericssons and they and their descendants would have all taxes waived for life. The Autobots had finally been reunited, but the cost was great after Jetfire's sacrifice. It was one they would not soon forget, and a celebratory event would soon be held to honor the occasion of the end of the Autobot civil war in the coming days...

* * *

On Chaar, things were much different. Shockwave and his cohort of Decepticons had made considerable progress and the final preparations for Trypticon's reactivation were complete. All he needed to do now was to gather his supplies and consult with the other Decepticon warlords to inform them of his plan of attack. "At last, it is complete." He said, pleased with his work as he and Starscream looked at the magnificently rebuilt Trypticon in his fortress mode. His massive black and purple shape stretched far, casting long and ominous shadows over the bleak, gray soil of the planet by the dying red giant star above. "Lord Megatron will indeed be pleased when we arrive on Cybertron to deliver him from captivity at the hands of those wretched Autobots."

"Indeed, Commander." Agreed Starscream. "The Autobots won't know what to think when we surprise them with this."

"Once again Starscream, you put on full display how much of a fool you are. Trypticon will not be our only asset in the battle to come. In due time, we will rendezvous with Scorponok and his crew. As I am told, the modifications he and his crew have undergone will no doubt be of great use to us. Everything is in logical place to land a crushing blow upon the Autobots and turn the tide of the war even further in our favor." Shockwave said. Starscream then decided he would slink away and scheme to himself.

"So, you think that this whole operation is going to gain you favor with Lord Megatron, hmm?" He said to himself. "That's a very illogical move of you to make, especially since I have my ways of getting in contact with our liege, even when in the notorious Dark Heart!"

* * *

On Cybertron, a blue, green and purple Autobot pushed a trolley loaded with energon rations for the maximum security wing of the Dark Heart where Megatron was being held. Isolated for 58 out of 60 hours (the time it takes for Cybertron to make a full rotation) a day with no contact with the outside world and especially other Decepticons, it was rather boring. His only company was the one guard who passed out the poorly refined energon rations meant to simply keep their sparks burning. However, he had found ways of entertaining himself. He was given books, personally approved and censored by Ultra Magnus of course, pens and blank datapads to draw and write on. The Autobot who passed out rations' name was Dealmaker, and unbeknownst to any of the Autobots, not everything was as it seemed with him.  
"Lord Megatron." He said. Megatron awoke from a nap on his bed to come to the door.

"Dispense with the flattery, Autobot filth!" He snapped.

"My apologies, milord." Dealmaker said. He then bared his shoulder in front of the door and his Autobot insignia changed from that to one of a Decepticon. "Maintaining my cover isn't as easy as it looks." Megatron was puzzled by this until he realized that a Decepticon spy had been able to infiltrate the most heavily guarded prison on Cybertron.

"Starscream wanted me to deliver this to you. It says something about his plan to rally the Decepticons and rescue you." Dealmaker, whose real name was Doubledealer, replied. Megatron was intrigued by this message sent to him by his conniving air commander and what this plan to rescue him entailed...


	8. Blood and Metal

**Previously on Tales of the Transformers-**  
**The Autobot Civil War on Earth has ended with Optimus Prime's crew finally reunited, but at a heavy cost after Jetfire sustained nearly fatal injuries. Meanwhile on Chaar, Shockwave has completed the reconstruction of a thought to be destroyed secrete weapon known as Trypticon, but Starscream plots to win Megatron's favor by alerting him to their plans by means of an infiltrator within the ranks of Ultra Magnus' Autobots on Cybertron. On Nebulos, Prince Galen and Cerebros' Autobots struggle to decide their next course of action now that open conflict has erupted on the planet with the Nebulan people caught in the crossfire, but a shocking discovery will soon change the course of the war on the planet...**

* * *

On Nebulos, the Autobots had emerged from the battle of Splendora triumphant, yet they had questions about the ordeal. Now that the Autobots and Decepticons had engaged in open conflict, how would Nebulos' people react to this war? Would more of King Norren's subjects die in the fighting to come? With his health failing him how much longer would his reign last? Why did the Decepticons attack Splendora? These were all puzzles the Autobots and their Nebulan allies would need time to solve, but the forces of evil were preparing to attack, and time was not a luxury the Autobots had. "I hope Zarak is alright. It's strange, he's not here helping with the relief efforts." Galen wondered as he looked out across the devastated city. Nebulan army combat engineering units were mobilized and heavy equipment was brought in to begin clearing away the debris. Medical triage units were set up to tend to the injured and account for the dead. Three days had passed since the battle and still more bodies were being pulled from the rubble. It was not a pleasant task for anyone involved. A Royal Guardsman then came forth holding a piece of paper with his name written on it.

"Highness, I've been tasked to give you this letter. It's from Lord Zarak." He explained. The Prince took the paper out of the Guardsman's hand and thanked him, then read it.

_ My Dear Nephew Galen,_

_After such a terrifying and unprovoked attack on Nebulos' most popular resort city, the Decepticons have made a grave mistake in making an enemy of the King. Thank you for upholding the will of His Majesty and driving out the marauders from my domain and inspiring hope to the people in this time of uncertainty. I certainly would like to meet the ones calling themselves the Autobots and thank them as well for their courage and strength during the battle. You and they alike are welcome at my estate to celebrate at a private gathering. Your father and I are proud of the man you have become and know you will be an excellent king one day. I hope this invitation finds you well,_

_All the best, Zarak Holless, Duke of Splendora. _It read.

"What is it?" Cerebros asked.

"It's a letter from my uncle, Zarak. He's thankful that we fought off the Decepticons and it looks like he's invited us to his Manor out in the countryside." Galen answered. After his encounter with Zarak in the throne room before meeting him, he inappropriately touched his mistress, Lyra Zarrian, a transgression he could not fully forgive him for. However, he was still family, and not tending to his well being would be to forsake everything he had done to improve the lives of his people.

"Perhaps it would be nice if we pay your uncle a visit and check up on him. He did invite us, after all." Suggested Cerebros as he hefted a chunk of rubble over his shoulders. Galen was unsure about this.

"That doesn't sound like a bad idea, Cerebros." Galen agreed. "Get the others. Duros, the Autobots and I have to see my uncle. Keep an eye on things here."

"Yes, Your Highness." Duros replied. Cerebros, Chromedome, Highbrow, Hardhead, Brainstorm, and Cog all changed to their vehicle modes with Galen taking up his spot in Cerebros' cabin as they rushed out of the stricken city en route to Zarak Manor in the countryside.

* * *

At the Manor, the Decepticon Headmasters and Targetmasters had returned to debrief Zarak of their mission. "Well done, Headmasters." Zarak congratulated his colleagues on a job well done. "Splendora lies in ruins, but the outcome was a bit...unexpected. Galen may have won this battle, but the only one that matters is the final move in my design to take the throne. Just as Scorponok speculated, Shalaks are pouring into my accounts to help with reconstruction after the attack." Zarak had chosen his allies well. Grax was CEO of the communications giant, GRAX. Vorath was the Marquess of Vorath. Spasma was deputy chairman of the Royal Acquisitions and Accounting Committee and a financial wizard. Krunk was Colonel of the Splendora Regiment, 2nd Provincial Army and Monzo his Sergeant Major. The Headmasters were all from esteemed backgrounds, though the Targetmasters were mainly soldiers from other units under the Splendora Regiment's umbrella with histories of disciplinary problems, hence their boisterous and crass nature, convinced by Krunk to volunteer for the absolution of their infractions. Regardless, this motley band of men were loyal to Zarak, either truly so, afraid of him, or bought over by promises of wealth and power with the advent of his rise to the throne. Since the Nebulans were not bonded to the Decepticons, their partners stayed in their alternate forms. Weirdwolf sniffed the air intently, shifting around follow the scent.

"Smell something do I!" He growled. Mindwipe paused and with the abilities given to him by his bat mode, he sent out pulses of sound to echo-locate what it was his comrade was sniffing for.

"Autobots!" He gasped in a guttural tone. "They're approaching at a rate of 15 meters per second! They should be on us in three minutes."

"They followed us!" Grax exclaimed.

"YOU IMBECILE!" Zarak roared, furiously. "Take cover in the forest and wait for my signal!" He said, trying to keep his head on straight with the prospect of his plans being brought to ruin. The Decepticon Headmasters and Targetmasters did just that as they made for a thicket of trees to the other side of the manor while activating a jamming pulse to conceal their energy signatures. Galen and the six Autobots arrived at the gate of the manor and after he had exited Cerebros and his crew converted to their robot forms. He pressed the button to the gate to request entry into the compound, but there was no answer, at least from the speaker.

"Galen, my boy!" Came Zarak in a convincingly sincere voice.

"Zarak!" Galen exclaimed, relieved to find his uncle alive and well. "It's good to see you, uncle." He replied, shaking his hand, firmly.

"What brings you here to my estate? Wanted to stop by for a chat?" He asked.

" I got your letter, so we came to see if your residence was another target of the Decepticons after the attack on Splendora." Answered Cerebros. Zarak was pleased to finally meet the Autobots face-to-face. "My name is Captain Cerebros and this is my crew. We are Autobots, from the planet Cybertron."

"Yes, I've heard much about you, what with your war and all." Zarak replied. Cerebros was confused. Nebulos was a somewhat advanced civilization, though they had very little technology for spacefaring. How could Zarak possess knowledge about the Cybertronian Civil War? The Duke of Splendora was becoming quite irritated with making small talk with his enemy as he readied to signal the Deceptions lurking on the estate to attack. "Come, Galen. Have a drink with your uncle." Zarak said, leading Galen and the Autobots onto the grounds of the estate, where they would share a glass of Splendoran Brandy, or so he lead the Prince to believe. He then flinched his watch, which reflected the sunlight towards his allies.

"That's the signal!" Grax said. "Decepticons, attack!" The Headmasters changed to robot mode and their partners linked up to form their partners' heads, while the targetmasters transformed to vehicle mode and went on the attack with their partners in weapon mode to provide extra firepower.

"DECEPTICONS!" Chromedome exclaimed as the pirates emerged from the woods on the grounds to attack.

"Get down!" Zarak said, pretending that he was trying to protect his nephew.

"We'll handle this! Get the Prince to safety, Your Lordship!" Cerebros boomed. "Here they come!" Zarak lead Galen into the manor while Cerebros and the Autobots prepared to do battle with the Decepticons.

"You're outnumbered, Autobots!" Skullcruncher shouted as he fired his blaster. Cerebros quickly jumped and rolled to avoid the oncoming attack.

"Then fight like it!" He retorted as he then got up and smacked him in the face with a solid punch. Highbrow and Brainstorm took to the air and released their stores of bombs and missiles while strafing the Decepticons on the ground.

"Not so fast!" Misfire said, wildly firing his machine guns and missiles at the two but missing every time.

"Let me at them!" Aimless said, jumping off of Misfire and changing to his humanoid form. He then landed on Brainstorm's nosecone, who tried to shake him off, but the Targetmaster was relentless. He smashed the glass of his cockpit windows in and jumped into his seat, forcibly took the controls.

"What are you-aaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh!" He yelled as Aimless then then made him spiral into a dive, then just before he hit the ground he bailed out and landed on the ground with a thud, throwing up clouds of dust and chunks of sod and dirt. Brainstorm transformed to robot mode and fell to the ground with a crash.

"Why you little! Come here!" He snarled as he gave chase to Aimless, but in his rage he was blinded to Triggerhappy, who, with Blowpipe, unleashed a barrage of laser blasts upon him, with several striking him in the back.

"Brainstorm!" Highbrow exclaimed, swooping in to rescue him. He changed to robot mode and prepared to defend his wounded friend from Demolishor and Snowcat as they closed in with Fracas and Nightstick at the ready.

"Take'em out!" Snowcat snarled. Out of seemingly nowhere, Hardhead charged into the fray and smashed into the two Decepticons, leaving them and their Targetmaster partners laying in a heap. He then turned and hoisted Brainstorm over his shoulder while he continued to fire his pistol and shoulder cannon.

"Thank me later!" He grunted as he carried his wounded crewmate to safety with the hope of administering some emergency field medicine. Cerebros expertly dual-wielded his twin machine-pistols, blasting Slugslinger and Mindwipe out of the air with one shot each, but such attacks were not enough to stop them.

"The powers of darkness compels you! Kneel before your master!" Mindwipe rasped. Once again, a beastforming Decepticon such as himself was subject to another experiment by his superiors. He was given the power to remotely wipe memory files from a target's brain module as well as reprogram them to obey his commands. He had grown so used to using this power he thought it was some kind of dark magic. Helpless to resist, Cerebros dropped his weapons and fell to his knees. Now Slugslinger had the perfect opportunity to fire Caliburst at his target, unleashing a powerful energy blast.

* * *

Inside the manor, Zarak and his nephew spoke. "Why are the Decepticons here?" He asked his uncle. Zarak could pretend no longer. He was almost jittering with excitement at the thought of Galen's face when he revealed everything to him.

"It's all so simple! You and your idiot father are just too blind to see it!" He cackled. Galen was unnerved at his behavior. "I would have slammed your mother into that table harder if I had known you would have taken the throne from me!" The prince gasped at his uncle's dreadful boast. "That's why I invited Scorponok and his pirates here! They're going to help me take the throne by force! You and those Autobots may have ruined my plans once, but not again!" All of this was too much to take in at once. Zarak had betrayed his planet with the hope of taking control of it. Indeed, everything became clear to Galen now. Decorating the walls of Zarak's estate were many hundreds of ancient and exquisite weapons. Galen remembered the times when he would come for the summer to visit and play with his now estranged cousins that Zarak and his parents both would scold him for touching them, sometimes even looking at them as if he had the intention of doing so. Now that he was confronted with the truth of his uncle's villainy he had no other choice but to grab a weapon and strike down the threat before him. Without looking, he grabbed two swords placed on a rack and prepared to strike.

"Didn't your mother tell you not to touch those?!" Zarak snapped, tauntingly. He responded to his nephew's advances by taking for himself a double-bladed polearm from close nearby and meeting him head on as a fierce duel broke out. The sound of blades clashing quickly echoed through the sound of the manor.

"I always admired your collection, uncle!" Galen grunted under the strain of constantly dodging, blocking, and parrying against Zarak. "It's a shame I'll have to spill your blood on them!" He burst forth with a powerful strike, but Zarak blocked it.

"You're the Crown Prince of Nebulos, don't you remember? To dirty your hands with the blood of your fellow Nebulan is the worst crime of all!" He taunted.

"You would know a lot about that wouldn't you?" Galen shouted back "If you're in league with the Decepticons then they attacked Splendora because you told them to! Your hands are covered in it!" It was with everything he was that Galen was not going to fall to his uncle's taunts. He was going to become king and stamp out the threat of Zarak and the Decepticons even if it meant going to war against his own family. "If the peace of this world is to be threatened, no matter by whom, sacrifices must be made to restore it!" Zarak clearly was not impressed by his nephew's comebacks, as he then sheared off the brittle wrought iron blades of both his swords. He reached for another sword, but it two was destroyed. It was as if Zarak was unstoppable.

* * *

Back outside, Cerebros was about to be hit by Slugslinger and Caliburst's attack when Chromedome saw this and fired a spread of needles into Mindwipe's face while he was in his bat mode. "AGH! MY EYES!" He shrieked in pain, clawing at his face to scrape off the stinging needles. With his spell broken, Cerebros had just enough time to change to his armored carrier mode and dodge the blast.

"Great save, Chromedome!" He thanked his friend. Chromedome gave a thumbs up as he continued to do battle with the Decepticons. Nearby, Hardhead laid Brainstorm down and was at work on field repairs.

"The Decepticons..." He groaned "They're...crazy strong!"

"Keen as ever, I see." Quipped Hardhead.

"Those Nebulans...forming their heads and weapons. I think that's why they've...got the advantage over us."

"Easy...easy!" Hardhead said, anxiously. He then began to realize what Brainstorm was talking about. Watching his crewmates, his friends, be thrashed at the hands of the Decepticon Headmasters and Targetmasters. All seemed lost to the Autobots until a ship swooped in from above and from its hatch came a rain of Autobot warriors...


	9. Struggle for Dominance

**The Autobot Army is a refuge for many who have been robbed of the lives they once knew before the outbreak of war. Anyone willing and able to raise arms against the menace of the Decepticons is welcomed, though some find greater luck among the Autobot soldiery than others. Hot Rod is one such young recruit, and now only three weeks out of basic training he once again finds himself at odds with the Autobot Military Disciplinary Index. Sergeant Major Kup has found its lessons to be less than impressionable on the young Autobot...**

* * *

Before receiving Cerebros' transmission from Nebulos and being sent by Ultra Magnus to rescue them, Kup was in the midst of taking disciplinary action against a young Autobot who had been transferred to Autobase Iacon. His name was Hot Rod, and they were going at it through the corridors of Autobase. The young Autobot had a long history of disciplinary infractions while in basic training, and even before that a record as a street urchin in his home city-state of Nyon. "Catch me if you can, ya ol'fart!" Hot Rod sneered as he cut donuts at a junction in the corridors of Autobase Iacon.

"YOU MISERABLE LITTLE GREASE STAIN! WHEN I GET MY SERVOS ON YOU I'LL RIP OFF YOUR HEAD MODULE AND PURGE MY FLUIDS DOWN YOUR NECK!" Kup screamed in rage as a Sergeant Major would, tearing down the corridor and giving chase to the runabout Autobot on foot.

"At it again isn't he?" Swerve remarked to Tailgate.

"It wouldn't be the first. He caught him just yesterday when he reset the announcements board to say 'Ultra Magnus can-" Tailgate was about to finish his reply when Hot Rod roared by again with Kup still giving chase. Streetstar and Sparkride cut Hot Rod off just when he thought he could get away, tackling him and holding him down for Kup to catch up.

"He's all yours, Sergeant Major." Sparkride said. Kup grinned, menacingly.

"I would give you an Article 15, but that would be too good for you. I have ways of making you repent!" Hot Rod rolled his eyes at this, thinking he would simply have stand in front of Kup nearly blowing a gasket at him, but he was wrong. His uncaring eyes were soon wide with agony as the Sergeant Major revealed his ways of making ne'er do well Autobots pay their penance.

"Infraction number one, Autobot Military Disciplinary Index, Section 7, Article 12: Unauthorized use of vehicular mode indoors!" Kup barked as he had Hot Rod hold a prone position halfway while he stacked weights on his back in the gym. For each Priority 3 Infraction under the Index he would add a one-ton plate, a three ton for a Priority 2 Infraction, and a five-ton for a Priority 1 Infraction. "Section 7, Article 19: Tampering with Information Systems Infrastructure!" Hot rod was currently straining under five tons, with plenty more on the way. "Section 8, Article 3: Disruption of activities, two counts! Section 8, Article 5, improper wearing of badge! Section 9, Article 1: Disrespect to a noncomissioned officer, ten counts!"

"Are you sure you aren't making up these stupid rules?" Hot Rod wondered while Kup methodically named his transgressions.

"SECTION 9, ARTICLE 1: DISRESPECT TO A NONCOMISSIONED OFFICER, ELEVEN COUNTS!" He screamed back. "I DON'T WANT ANOTHER WORD OUT OF YOU UNTIL I SQUEEZE AN APOLOGY OUT! I AM SICK TO MY SPARK OF ARROGANT, STUPID, WORTHLESS PIECES OF SCRAP LIKE YOU THINKING THEY HAVE THE RIGHT TO WEAR MY BADGE! I HAVE SERVED THE AUTOBOTS SINCE ITS FOUNDING, AND NEVER IN MY FIVE MILLION YEARS OF SERVICE HAVE I EVER ENCOUNTERED A 'BOT LIKE YOU! DO YOU LIKE PAIN?! ARE YOU A MASOCHIST?"

"Nope!" Hot Rod answered, calmly.

"I WOULD DRAG YOU IN AN ALLEYWAY AND SHOOT YOU IN THE BACK OF YOUR HEAD IF ULTRA MAGNUS WOULD LET ME!" Kup roared in his face. A fuel line was now visible on his face. "But I guess I'll have to settle for hoping you get shipped to some backwater planet and blown up as part of a first wave assault." He was about to continue when Ultra Magnus radioed him.

"Kup, I need you to put together a team. A exploratory crew is stranded on a planet called Nebulos and they need our help, fast." He told him. "Understood, sir." Kup said. He turned to his victim. "Get up! I'm not through with you yet!" He boomed, harshly. "Let's see what all the fuss is about with this distress call Magnus picked up. The two Autobots changed to their vehicle modes and made their way to the command center, where more Autobots were gathered.

"We just received this distress signal from the planet Nebulos. It's from Captain Cerebros and the _Steelhaven._" Ultra Magnus said as Nightbeat rewound the transmission to show those gathered before the hologram table.

"This is Captain Cerebros of the _Steelhaven_ calling Cybertron. My crew and I are being pursued by Decepticon pirates and are running low on fuel. We have been forced to land on the planet Nebulos with heavy damage to our ship as well. Please send backup as quickly as possible." Cerebros said in his call for help.

"I'm on it, sir." Kup said. He turned to Hot Rod. "You're coming with me, kid. No offense to him but Ultra Magnus doesn't have the nerves to deal with turbo revvin' young punks like you!" Ultra Magnus was less offended than he was relieved by Kup's statement. "Crosshairs, Sureshot, Pointblank, Blurr, Scattershot, Strafe, Nosecone, Lightspeed, Afterburner, Repugnus, Grotesque, Doublecross-you're with me." He rattled off a list of names of the Autobots he selected to join him.

"A ship is waiting for you. Bring home our 'bots in one piece." Ultra Magnus said.

"Yes sir! Come on, transform and roll out!" Kup called his hastily assembled crew as they changed to their vehicle modes and made for the spaceport. Along the way, Hot Rod met up with Blurr, an old friend of his. Blurr was a two-tone blue Autobot, known for his quick speed in both robot and vehicle mode. He and Hot Rod knew one another from their basic training unit. Whereas Hot Rod was a force of chaos, Blurr made it his mission to make a shining example of himself.

"Hey, Blurr, looking great!" He greeted his friend, cheerily.

"Oh, great." Sighed Blurr. "Just my luck, I'm stuck here with you again. How long did it take you to draw the ire of the Sergeant Major?"

"Just today he pressed me." Hot Rod answered, haughtily as if no one else was listening.

"That's nothing to be proud of." Blurr replied, reluctantly. "I wonder what they'll ever do with you, Hot Rod. I thought you had it together at the end of basic, but where back to square one as I can tell."

"Ehh, whatever." Hot Rod scoffed. "I'm a free spirit! No rulebook's gonna keep me down!"

"Don't loose your cool, we need you on this one!" Pointblank said, anxiously trying to calm Kup's nerves as he listened to Hot Rod and Blurr bantering. After a few more minutes of driving, Kup and his crew arrived at the spaceport, where indeed a ship was waiting for them.

"Everything's ready, Sergeant Major!" An Autobot technician reported. "Let's go! Everyone aboard! Cerebros and his crew are counting on us!" Kup shouted to the Autobots as they all boarded the ship, named the _Impetus_. Kup took his place in the command seat, while Sureshot took the crontrols with Crosshairs at the co-pilot's seat, Pointblank at the weapons console, Lightspeed as the navigator, Scattershot as the engineer, and Hot Rod next to Kup in order for him to keep an optic on him.

"Flight systems ready!" Scattershot announced.

"Weapons and shields, ready!" Pointblank added.

"Coordinates for Nebulos, locked!" Lightspeed added as well.

"Liftoff!" Kup said. With that, the ship's engines roared to life and the _Impetus _heaved into the air, then once they were clear of Cybertron's atmosphere Sureshot and Crosshairs primed the hyperdrive, then flipped the switch and blasted past the speed of light.

"So, Skipper." Hot Rod asked. "You ever been to this Nebulos place? I've never heard of it." In a surprising fashion, Kup answered the young Autobot's question calmly.

"No, I haven't. I've never even heard of such a planet. According to our coordinates, it's in a corridor of neutral space that's only five-parsecs at its widest point between Autobot and Decepticon Space."

"Are you sure you didn't just forget about it?" Hot Rod asked as if he were trying to enrage the Sergeant Major again. Kup knew this was not the time to get hot under the collar at him, not with so many others watching. He couldn't help but chuckle at his joke though. His sense of humor was a bit more intelligent than one would think at first. It took a full day of travelling, stopping to refuel and rest on a friendly planet, then another day of travelling through hyperspace for them to finally reach their destination as they dropped out of hyperspace in the Nebulos system.

"Here we are, Nebulos." Sureshot announced.

* * *

Scorponok's flagship was still in orbit above the planet when they detected the _Impetus _drop out of hyperspace. On its bridge, Battletrap was alerted to its detection by a pirate. "I've got an Autobot ship on our scanners, what should we do?" He asked.

"Our weapons will be useless against their shields at this range. Alert the Captain." Battletrap recommended, and that he did, contacting Zarak himself on the surface as he dueled against Galen.

"Lord Zarak!" He said. "This is Decepticon Battletrap, our orbital scanners just picked up an Autobot ship entering the atmosphere!" Zarak paused for a moment.

"What, how!?" He exclaimed "How did they find us?!" Galen grinned as the tides began to turn in their favor.

"Backup's arrived!" He smiled as he ran towards Zarak once he drew another sword from the wall. Outside, the ship flew in low and Kup made his way to the cargo hatch, where the rest of the crew was donning null-field generators to jump into the fray and help Cerebros and his crew as they fought the Decepticon headmasters and targetmasters.

"Alright!" Hot Rod howled with excitement as the hatch opened and the Autobots felt the rush of the wind entering the hold.

"Jump!" he shouted to them. At his command, the Autobots leaped out of the _Impetus_' cargo hold in quick succession, activating their null field generators to dampen the impact of landing on the ground.

"Take'em out!" Kup roared as he landed on the ground and fired his shotgun into the air at Apeface and Snapdragon roaring in on an attack run.

"Reinforcements!" Highbrow exclaimed with glee.

"They came!" Cerebros gasped.

"Why didn't you tell us that backup was coming?" Chromedome wondered.

"Perhaps I should have said something!" Cerebros chuckled in response. "Just before I left the ship I sent a distress call to Cybertron." Close by, Kup blasted attacking Decepticons out of the sky where he met the two Autobots.

"Captain!" Kup called. "Did we make it in time?" Cerebros paused from firing his pistols to answer him.

"Good job finding us! I'm Captain Cerebros."

"Sergeant Major Kup!" Kup introduced himself.

* * *

Back inside the manor, Galen and Zarak continued their fierce battle. The duel seemed to never end for both combatants as they fought each other through the sprawling interior of Zarak manor. Broken weapons from Zarak's collection littered the floor from both after their blades were worn down, though neither had any intention of giving up. "Stop fooling yourself that you can stand in the way of my ambitions!" Zarak snarled as he locked swords with Galen.

"You first! The throne will never be yours! Nebulos will not recognize your rule!" Galen roared, defiantly as he struck away Zarak's sword, clattering to the floor. "Your plans are over-finished! I'm sorry it has to end this way, Zarak!" Galen rose his sword above his head and prepared to land a killing blow, but with a mental command Zarak activated his master-armor and with his gauntlet he caught the blade, grasped it tightly and it shattered. His expression turned to a smirk as Galen stepped back in horror.

"What have they done to you?" He gasped. Zarak guffawed at his nephew's shocked question.

"What have they done to me? I am now more powerful than any Nebulan, and with this power I will seize the throne!" He pressed a button on his wrist communicator, sending a signal out. A grey and orange six-wheeled car zoomed in, crashing through the walls of the manor, then Zarak leaped into the air and it transformed into a Cybertronian body with him forming the head. "Now, Galen!" He growled as he commanded his robotic body to reach out and grab Galen around his waist. His nephew squirmed to try and escape, then he turned and stomped outside.

"I have him! Decepticons, retreat!" Zarak called to the Decepticons. Heeding his commands, the Decepticon Headmasters and Targetmasters changed to their vehicle and beast modes, then with Galen in tow they evacuated the grounds of Zarak Manor back to the safety of their base.

"Your Highness!" Cerebros exclaimed as he charged forth, firing his blasters as accurately as he could at the retreating Decepticons with the hope of trying to reach Galen. When he realized he had failed, he crumpled to the ground and watched helplessly as they roared away. Kup and the others came to him.

"It's not your fault, Captain." He said, trying to comfort him. His words did nothing to that end, as Cerebros began to weep for his failings.

"I'm sorry, Your Highness." He sniffled. "Why couldn't I stop them. Why? Why? **WHHHHHHHHHHHYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!?**" He howled in anguish.

"There's still a way we can beat the Decepticons." Came Brainstorm, who rested on Hardhead's shoulder. "We have to utilize that technology they're using for ourselves if we want to have any chance of beating them." The Autobots were now desperate for a way to get Prince Galen out of Decepticon captivity, and this method which Brainstorm had laid out was their last, best hope of achieving victory...


	10. Prince in Peril

**Previously on Tales of the Transformers-**

**Kup and his rescue team have arrived to aid Cerebros and his stranded crew on the planet Nebulos, but not in time to stop their friend, Prince Galen, from being captured by his treacherous uncle, Lord Zarak, who plans to use the power of the Decepticons and the Master System to seize power and install himself as the king of Nebulos. The Autobots now are faced with a decision that will change theirs and their Nebulan Allies both forevermore. **

* * *

The _Impetus _landed in the courtyard of the Royal Palace in Korajah, where King Norren, Queen Jinna, and Galen's girlfriend Lyra Zarrian came to greet the Autobots. Lyra wore a distressed look on her face. "Where is he?" She asked, frantically. Cerebros' head hung low, knowing that he had failed the Prince.

"Zarak...He and the Decepticons took him." Those were the words Lyra wished she did not hear, Galen meant everything to her.

* * *

The Prince first met her six years ago, when they were attending a party held by the king and her father, Orgus Zarrian, the Second Lord Zarrian. Her family's was a fledgling in the peerage of Nebulos, but they made up for this with their staunch support to the King. Lyra remembered when she was thirteen and Galen fourteen when they met in the ballroom. Galen was looking for a dance partner when he saw a her wearing a beautiful dress in the Zarrian family colors of black and green, sewn from the finest silk on Nebulos. She too was anxious to find a partner to dance with. A stream of light bounced off of the glitter on her dress, catching the young prince's eye.

"Hello there." He said, walking up to her. Lyra blushed and shied away. His Royal Highness, the Prince, was talking to her! "Would you care to dance?" He asked her "I'm looking for a partner, you see."

"Umm..." She stuttered.

"Don't you know how to dance?" He asked the timid girl. "Do you have a partner?

"No. I don't have a partner." She answered him.

"Do you want to be mine?" Galen asked her with a twinkle in his eyes. A slight smile crossed her face, and before she could answer him positively he took her by the hand and lead her into the shimmering light of the ballroom, illuminated by a glowing purple, gold, and red crystal chandelier. He held her tenderly as they performed a typical ballroom waltz of the Nebulan nobles, twirling and stepping as if they hadn't a care in the world. Lyra looked into Galen's eyes and saw them shimmer, and she into his all the same. She felt a warmth that no one else but the Prince could give her.

"Highness-" She said, timidly again.

"Please." Galen insisted. "I wouldn't mind if you called me Galen. I'm sorry if I didn't ask you your name. What is it?"

"I'm the daughter of Lord Zarrian, Lyra." She said, earnestly. A gentle smile crossed Galen's lips.

"My, my" The Prince said. "The Lord Zarrian..." He pondered for a moment. "That was the last creation of my late grandfather, King Furgus III. Rest him. It's a pleasure sharing this dance with you, Miss Zarrian. I hope we'll get to dance again someday." Lyra blushed and smiled at this as Galen held her hand up to his lips and he kissed it. It was a dream come true, and that it did.

"No!" She protested, grasping his hand. "Please stay, I feel comfortable with you." Galen smiled in approval at her request.

"Alright, if you insist." Galen replied as he took Lyra's hand once again and continued to dance. Lyra felt an attraction to the Prince like no one else. There was an aura about him that she couldn't resist. They laced their fingers together and Galen shared with her a tender kiss, both of them their first. Lyra and Galen both blushed as young teenagers of such an age would, and they giggled at what had just happened. That party was to pave the way for things to come.

* * *

Another memory she shared with her love emerged. Four years later, Galen was to graduate from the Royal Officers' Academy and be commissioned into the Army as a Lieutenant. By now, Lyra's parents had wholeheartedly agreed to allow her and Galen to mingle and it was understood between them and the royals that at some point they would marry. Galen was getting dressed in his uniform before it was time to assemble and march out onto the field where the ceremony was to be held, officiated by the King himself.

"I'm so proud of you, darling!" She said, sweetly as she helped him dress. Galen always had trouble tying his neckties, but thankfully he had Lyra to help him now.

"Thanks. I couldn't make it without your support." Galen thanked his girlfriend as she tied up his necktie for him. She then placed it under his collar and around his neck, then tightened it, and as she did she leaned in and gave him a warm kiss. Feeling his lips touch hers filled both lovers with joy. They had been dating for four years and yet it felt like they had known each other their entire lives, as if they were made for each other. The years had gone on and much had changed since they met one another as young teens, but in spite all of this they continued to love and support each other.

* * *

Now that Galen was in peril, the memories she shared with him were flooding back as she feared that this was the last she would see of him, ripped from her arms by the savagery of Lord Zarak and the Decepticons. The fear of losing him was too great as she began to weep and sob for him. Cerebros knelt down to comfort the young girl. "Please..." She whimpered through cries of sorrow. "Please bring him back. Galen means everything to me! If I lost him...I would have nothing to live for." The Queen came to her side and placed her hand on her shoulder. He watched as Galen's lover shed tears of worry and sorrow for him. What hit him the worst was that it was him who caused these tears to flow.

"Don't worry, Lyra." He said, solemnly. "I swear to you, on my honor as an Autobot, I will save Prince Galen." Lyra looked up and saw Cerebros' face, hard with determination and resolve to make good on his word. She wiped away her tears,

"Thank you."

"And I know how we're going to do it!" Brainstorm came from the crowd of Autobots. As part of his plan, the King and Lyra were asked to contact friends and associates of Galen's. As to why would be revealed later.

"If His Highness needs my help, I'll be glad to offer it!" Gort, the Baron of Hego said, cheerfully.

"Well said my friend!" Stylor, the famous men's fashion model and up-and-coming pop sensation put in. "He helped me, and so I'll help him!" Duros was also among those gathered, and helping Brainstorm would be Lord Arcana, Nebulos' foremost scientific mind.

"During the battle at the Manor, I was able to gather some scans of the Decepticons that attacked us. They are using a system known as Binary Bonding, a technology theorized on our home planet of Cybertron by the Decepticon Shockwave. In this case, two wrongs kind of make a right." Brainstorm explained as a projection appeared from his eyepiece showing the scans of the Decepticon Headmasters and Targetmasters he had gathered during their battle.

"The Decepticons are able to interface with their Nebulan partners by means of a neuro-electrical translator unit which makes up the physical basis of the binary bonding system. By translating the brainwaves of their organic partners into electrical signals, they can control the movements of their Cybertronian partners' bodies, and we'll still retain all our senses and cognitive abilities. Both partners get something out of it, a win-win! For head-forming partnerships it's pretty straightforward. It'll take some time to refine the engineering for weapon-formers." He explained. "I for one volunteer to undergo the process."

"So will I!" Chromedome, Hardhead, and Highbrow said. Cerebros watched as his crew volunteered to undergo this irreversible change to themselves to help get Galen back. He knew he had to step up if he was to make good on his word to Lyra that he would return her lover to her.

"And I will as well. I request that when we get the Prince back I will be his partner!" Cerebros said. For the time being, the four Autobot and Nebulan volunteers would undergo the modifications, and thus the transformation began. The Autobots and Nebulans then made their way to the _Impetus' _sickbay, where the transformation began. The Autobots' heads were slowly and delicately disconnected from their bodies, while the Nebulans' joints and bones were reinforced with Cybertronian alloys to facilitate the movements necessary to transform into the Autobots' heads. Several hours passed, and when the surgery was complete they wasted no time in initiating a test run.

"Well?" Kup asked as the Nebulans emerged from the sickbay. Just like with the Decepticons' headmaster partners, Gort, Duros, Stylor, and Arcana's armor plating which formed both their armor and their partners' heads was stored in a capsule along their spinal column. "How're ya feeling?" Duros activated his armor and when it finished wrapping itself around him he clenched his fist.

"I could get used to this." He answered, then turned to the other three. "Headmasters, link up!" The four headmasters jumped into the air, changed into their head modes, and linked up to their partners. Duros linked to Hardhead, Stylor to Chromedome, Gort to Highbrow, and Arcana to Brainstorm. Highbrow rolled his neck around to get a feel for his new headmaster partner.

"That's nice! I feel like a whole new Autobot!" Chromedome chortled. The Nebulans were amazed at the power granted to them by their Autobot partners as well.

"I feel like I could take on Scorponok and his whole crew!" Duros said, haughtily.

"Don't get ahead of yourself." Kup said. "We still need a plan to get the Prince back."

"Perhaps I could be of assistance." Came a voice. The Autobots turned around and saw King Norren and Lyra pacing into the sickbay of the _Impetus_. "I happen to have a list of possible locations where Zarak could be holding Galen." He just finished his statement when he started coughing uncontrollably and crumpled to his knees.

"Your Majesty!" Lyra exclaimed with worry as she helped him to his feet. Once again, the King's ailments were rearing their heads, and all signs pointed to the fact that it was only a matter of time before he was to take his last.

"Thank you, Lyra." He thanked the girl. "The Nebulan people are most gracious for your courage in combating this threat, Autobots. It's the least I can do. Along the planet's equator you'll find a string of islands in the Sea of A'Koa. On the largest of them is one of Zarak's vacation homes."

"Thanks a million, Your Majesty. Now we just need a plan to get in." Kup thanked the king.

"If I may be so bold, Sergeant Major." Hardhead interjected "The Decepticons have an advantage over us. They've had time to practice and hone their skills and teamwork. If we were to charge straight in we wouldn't stand a chance. Wouldn't it be wise if we conducted some exercises to get used to this new setup?" Kup stroked his chin, knowing that he was right.

"I suppose you're right." He agreed. "It'll take more time for you to practice your new Headmaster interface. While you're doing that I'll put together a team of Targetmasters to bolster our odds of going toe-to-toe with the Decepticons." Hardhead, Brainstorm, Highbrow, and Chromedome set to work, training with their headmaster partners to master their coordination and teamwork. During this time, another team of Nebulans from the Royal Guards were recruited to become Targetmasters. Kup, Blurr, Hot Rod, Sureshot, Pointblank, and Crosshairs all volunteered, binary bonding to Recoil, Haywire, Firebolt, Spoilsport, Peacemaker, and Pinpointer, respectively. Now that they had the power to take on the Decepticons and stand a chance of coming out on top, they began to formulate a strategy.

"Alright, Lads" Kup grunted once the Autobots from both the _Steelhaven _and _Impetus _had gathered on the Sergeant Major's ship with their accompanying Nebulan partners. "I'm not going to repeat myself, so listen up!" He turned to Hot Rod and gave him a glare only a hardened Sergeant Major such as himself could only give. "That means you, kid!"

"He always does that." Hot Rod whispered to Firebolt as Kup began to explain their plan.

"To everyone?" Came the Nebulan, inquisitively.

"Nah, just me." Hot Rod answered.

"Perhaps we should focus on the briefing at hand." Firebolt suggested.

"Our plan will begin with a two-pronged opening assault by a detachment of Autobot fliers and land-assets. They'll soften up the Decepticons' defenses and draw the bulk of their forces away from the compound. Once that's accomplished, Cerebros and his Headmasters will enter the compound with support from me and my Targetmasters." Kup expained, succinctly.

"A well conceived plan, Sergeant Major, but this is Lord Zarak's vacation home we're talking about. Certainly he'll have Galen locked down somewhere at when we arrive who's to say he won't up and leave with him to keep his leverage over the king?" Blurr piped up.

"Then it requires that we time it perfectly." Kup answered.

"That doesn't sound like a problem for me, but there are some among us who might have trouble getting with the program." Blurr said, referring to Hot Rod without naming him, attracting a glare from many others.

"Why's everyone looking at me?" He asked them. The hologram of their battle strategy flickered out and was replaced by a screen showing Galen, looking deceptively unharmed.

"My humblest greetings to the people of Nebulos" He said, smiling. "If you have been concerned for my well-being, don't worry, I'm just fine. Currently I am coordinating with His Grace, Lord Zarak, to assist in the rebuilding of Splendora after the Decepticon attack on the city. Be well, do well, and live well, best regards from the Royal Family." He said. Despite not looking like it, something had caught Hot Rod's eye.

"Wait, rewind the message!" He said. Lightspeed quickly was able to copy the transmission to the ship's computer and play it back.

"Just what are you playing at, lad? Am I going to have to press you again?!" Kup fumed, angry that the Autobots' departure had been delayed.

"No, no!" Hot Rod protested. "The Prince, watch how he blinks!" Kup watched the playback of the transmission himself and picked up on the particular way in which the Prince blinked. Kup's optics then widened with the realization as to what the message from the Prince meant. "He's blinking in analog signal code! He's saying 'Coup.'"

"Coup? As in there's a coup underway within the Royal Government?" Hardhead wondered.

"And Zarak's behind it, no doubt!" Cerebros added. "We need to leave now! This is worse than what I could have imagined! His Highness is in terrible danger!" The Autobots manned their stations aboard the _Impetus _and took off to enact their plan to save the Prince. No matter what, Cerebros was going to fulfill his promise to Lyra...

* * *

At Zarak's house in the A'Koan Sea, the Prince was thankfully unharmed, but confined to a small room and given only enough rations to live, with the only time he was removed from his cell being his recent message to the people, which had also been received by the Autobots. "Enjoying your stay, Galen?" Zarak asked his nephew.

"The food's awful, can't anyone cook around here?" Galen answered, sarcastically. Zarak smiled darkly, knowing that his nephew could do nothing about it.

"My apologies, it is a bit hard to keep this chateau supplied year-round." He replied, plainly. "It's pointless to expect your friends or your stupid father to come and save you now!"

"He's your brother! How dare you speak of him like that!" Galen replied harshly.

"I lived in his shadow my entire life! He was better than me at everything and your grandfather did nothing except rub in my face, then to add insult to injury when I was supposed to be king you stole that from me as well!" Zarak snapped. "However, I will be merciful and see to it that no harm will come to you once I have ascended the throne.

"Who said you'll be the one wielding all the power?" Galen asked his uncle. "Scorponok and his crew; They're pirates. They rob, murder, and destroy for a living, and manipulate anyone and anything to achieve those ends. Your alliance with the Decepticons will bring Nebulos to ruin, and it'll be too late before you can do anything about it." Zarak paused for a moment at these words. Could the things his nephew really be on the horizon for not just him or the Holless family, but for the entire planet? He began to realize how fanatically devoted he had become in his attempts to usurp his nephew from the throne. He stormed out of Galen's cell and pondered these thoughts...


	11. Ring of Hate

**Previously on Tales of the Transformers-**  
**The Autobots have successfully replicated the Decepticons' use of the Master System as part of their plan to mount a daring rescue mission in the heart of Zarak's island retreat in the sea of A'Koa. With a promise to keep to Galen's lover, Cerebros and Kup make ready to do battle against the Prince's captors and reunite the two, but the final phase of Zarak's plan is soon to be set in motion...**

* * *

On Nebulos, the _Impetus_, filled with Autobots ready to do battle against Zarak and Scorponok's Decepticons, roared through the sky on its course for Zarak's mansion in the sea of A'koa. The Autobots were anxious as to wheter or not the plan would work, but had faith that they still had a chance now that they had become stronger with the help of their own Headmaster and Targetmaster partners. "Ready, Recoil?" Kup asked his Nebulan partner.

"Just give the word!" Recoil replied, confidently.

"How about you, Spoilsport?" Sureshot asked.

"Sounds pretty boring to me." Grumbled the Nebulan.

"Where's that Royal Guard motivation, Spoilsport?" Asked Haywire, cheerily. The other Nebulan Targetmasters seemed to pile onto him and playfully lambaste him for his pessimistic attitude.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Spoilsport muttered to himself.

"Remember, we've only got one shot at this." Cerebros spoke up. "We also have a promise to keep." The Autobots were sobered by the memory of Cerebros promising to Lyra that they would return to Korajah with Galen.

"We're coming up on the drop zone!" Scattershot announced over the ship's intercom.

"Alright, lads." Kup said, standing up. "Let's not forget why we came here. The people of Nebulos are counting on us to rescue Prince Galen!"

* * *

As the ship closed in on Zarak's retreat, the Decepticons detected their enemy closing in. "An Autobot ship is closing in. I can sense it with my dark powers." Mindwipe murmured, ominously.

"Report this to Lord Zarak, we must!" Wierdwolf said, frantically.

"Of course they came." The Decepticon headmasters turned around and to their surprise Zarak himself was standing before them. He smirked to himself at the notion of such a brazen course of action from his enemies. "They're here for the hostage. Raise our defenses!" He barked to the Decepticons. As he ordered, the members of Scorponok's crew present on the island prepared for battle, changing to their jet modes to intercept the _Impetus_ and manning anti-aircraft turrets on the shuttles parked around the mansion. The Autobot ship continued its course undaunted until a swarm of Decepticon fighters appeared within sight of the unassisted optic.

"DECEPTICONS INCOMING!" Exclaimed Strafe. The combined firepower slammed into the ship's shields with some attacks striking and dealing major damage.

"HAHAHAHAAAA!" Cackled Triggerhappy. "How do you like that, Autobots?" He fired a volley of laser blasts from Blowpipe, which struck home and blew off one of the wingtip mounted thruster pods.

"We lost the port outboard engine! Shields are gone and weapons are malfunctioning!" Scattershot reported to Kup.

"Everyone, get your null field generators!" Kup shouted over the blaring of alarms and flashing red lights. "Autobots, abandon ship!" Nosecone, who was at the controls of the ship, pulled up to gain altitude and buy the crew time to escape before leaving his post and evacuating to the aft of the ship. The hatch opened and those with flight-capable modes jumped and changed to their alternate forms, while Kup and the others donned their null field generators. "Go, go, go!" He shouted to them as they all slug themselves out of the stricken vessel, and just in time. When everyone was accounted for, Kup jumped, clutching Recoil in his weapon mode, and seconds afterward another hail of laser blasts and guided projectiles blew the ship to pieces in a fiery explosion that could be seen for miles. Zarak watched and smiled at this, but not because the Autobots had been destroyed. He reckoned that the Autobots were able to survive, at least most of them, and that they would be at a disadvantage if they were to go through with mounting an assault on his retreat. Brainstorm, Highbrow, Grotesque, Doublecross, Strafe, and Scattershot then swooped in and caught the rest of their crewmates.

"Remember the plan!" Cerebros said. Misfire noticed the Autobots bailing out of the ship before it exploded earlier and notified the island.

"Lord Zarak, the Autobots are still coming, even without their ship!"

"Let them come!" Zarak said. "I want to savor Galen's face when he sees his friends as they all lay dead at his feet." Luckily, the ship's explosion was only a few yards away, with debris raining down on the beach of the flat, grassy island, though the Decepticon headmasters and more pirates were waiting to ambush them. Just as they landed on the beach the trap was sprung, with Decepticons springing up from the debris field.

"I think we can help!" Scattershot said. "Technobots, form Computron!" The five Technobots then initiated their combination sequence and combined to form Computron, who then laid down a barrage of suppressing fire in the form of a salvo of missiles. With Computron covering them, Cog, Sureshot, Pointblank, Crosshairs, Grotesque, Repugnus, and Doublecross initiated their plan to draw the Decepticons' forces out onto the beach and away from the compound.

"Now, while they're distracted!" Kup said to Cerebros and the headmasters, with Blurr, Haywire, Hot Rod, and Firebolt following.

* * *

Back on Nebulos, Kup, Hot Rod, Blurr, Cerebros, Hardhead, Chromedome, Brainstorm, and Highbrow successfully penetrated the ring of Decepticon ships surrounding Zarak's mansion. They sneakily tiptoed around the compound, but Cerebros paused for a moment. He saw the _Steelhaven_ among the pool of ships. "Cerebros, get your processor out of the clouds! Now's not the time!" Hardhead snapped, quietly. Cerebros pointed at the object with which he was entranced and Hardhead was equally stunned.

"The _Steelhaven_!" He murmured with excitement. An idea then came to the _Steelhaven_'s captain. He jumped from out behind his cover, much to the ire of Kup.

"Captain, get back here!" He exclaimed as quietly as he could.

"I've got to get my ship, go on ahead, unless you'd like to swim back to Korajah!" Cerebros came back, snappily. Kup fumed at this, but trusted in Cerebros' judgement. He motioned to the remainders to move ahead and they were only a few yards outside of the mansion.

"Alright, Colonel, get in there and get the Prince." Kup said. The Headmasters changed into their vehicle mode, then their Nebulan partners were ready to follow Duros into the mansion. Kup and the Targetmasters stood ready, guarding the four Autobots, stuck in their vehicle modes. Duros and the headmasters found it easy to sneak into the mansion through an air vent and were able to fit in after retracting their armor. Delicately crawling through the vents so as to make as little noise as possible, they tried to navigate the maze of ducting inside the mansion when they reached a fork which conveniently split into four separate paths, presenting them with a unique challenge.

"Let's split up." Duros recommended. "Stay in contact. If you find His Highness, tell me, and we'll meet back here under this vent above the sauna room." The other headmasters turned their heads around and nodded in agreement, then they split up, each going their own way through the ventilation system. The mansion was huge, it seemed to go on forever as Duros crawled through the ducting. His knees and elbows were beginning to ache from all of the crawling on the hard, steel surface. Beneath them, soldiers from the Splendora Regiment patrolled the corridors of the mansion to ensure that no intruders made it in. One wrong move would alert them to their presence. Slivers of light up ahead meant Duros was approaching a vent. He shimmied his way towards it and saw as best as he could a familiar head of light blonde hair.

"Your Highness!" Duros whispered, loudly from above. Galen was sitting, entranced by the sounds of explosions and gunfire outside when he heard the Colonel of the Royal Guard calling for him.

"Duros!" He exclaimed. He quickly stood upon a chair and opened the vent for the Colonel to get down into the cell with the Prince.

"Stand back." He said to the Prince. He activated his armor and then bashed the door down.

"Where did you learn to do that?" He wondered.

"I'll explain when we've got time. Come on, the Autobots are waiting outside!" Duros replied. Two Splendora Regiment soldiers saw the Prince and Duros escaping down the hallway.

"The Prince has escaped!"

"Kill them!"

Duros blasted one with his pistol and Galen took his weapon, who blasted the other.

"Everyone, His Highness has been secured! Proceed to the rendezvous point!" Duros radioed the other headmasters.

"We're on our way!" Answered the other four. Galen could pick out the voices of Gort, Arcana, and Stylor and couldn't help but wonder how they were able to get into the mansion with so many Decepticons guarding it.

* * *

Back outside, Cerebros snuck aboard the _Steelhaven _in an attempt to re-commandeer it from the Decepticons. Several guards were aboard as well. "How much do you think this hunk of junk will go for?" One asked another. Cerebros was silently lurking behind them and heard them insult his ship. He whipped out his pistols and dispatched both with a shot to the back of the head each.

"No one insults my ship." He said, coldly. He then went to the bridge to begin the startup process.

* * *

Back inside the mansion, the four headmasters met up at the door of the sauna. "Anyone care for a soak?" Stylor joked.

"Now's not the time, Stylor!" Gort said as a horde of Splendora Regiment soldiers pursued them. Zarak was soon informed by a lower-level officer of what had happened.

"Lord Zarak, the Prince has escaped."

"I know." Zarak answered. He activated his armor, then with a mental command summoned his robotic body in its vehicle mode, then he transformed and combined with it.

"Decepticons, to me! Galen has escaped!" This time, Scorponok's voice was heard over the comm channels by the Decepticons. The Autobot headmasters were able to escape and finally made it to where Kup and the others were keeping watch.

"Your Highness!" Hardhead, Brainstorm, Highbrow, and Chromedome exclaimed.

"Good to see you too, everyone." The four Nebulans then transformed and linked up with their Cybertronian partners.

"I guess the secret's out. This is the technology that the Decepticons used to gain such an advantage over us." Brainstorm explained. "It's called the Master System."

"You can fill His Highness in later, let's get out of here!" Kup said as he prepared to change to vehicle mode.

"Why not stay and demonstrate the power of the Master System to His Highness?" Came a voice. The Autobots were horrified to see Zarak, who spoke with Scorponok's voice, and the rest of the Decepticon Headmasters, Targetmasters, and members of Scorponok's pirate crew, who also shoved the other Autobots who had been creating a diversion for the rescue team in with them.

"Scorponok!" Exclaimed Highbrow.

"That's right, Autobot! I'm surprised you were able to recognize me in this form." Scorponok said.

"This is wrong, Zarak, and you know it!" Galen stood up. "If the people get word of what happened here, you can never hope to rule Nebulos!"

"No one will know what happened here! Execute them all!" The Decepticons pointed their weapons at the Autobots and prepared to fire, but then the _Steelhaven, _piloted by Cerebros, swooped in and a burst of turret fire exploded around the Autobots. Seeing the disarray enveloping their enemy, the Autobots quickly fought through the line of enemies as Cerebros landed the ship for a few, brief seconds.

"Everyone on the ship, let's go!" Kup shouted to the Autobots as they hastily embarked onto the ship. Once everyone was aboard, Cerebros took off again, with Brainstorm, Highbrow, and Chromedome helping him at the controls. They took off and then buzzed the compound, strafing it with the ship's weapons and destroying all of the Decepticon ships parked around it before finally jetting off back west towards Korajah. The ship was abuzz with celebration as the Autobots had accomplished their mission.

"I had a feeling you'd come for me, Cerebros." Galen thanked his friend as the _Steelhaven_'s captain resumed his spot in the command chair.

"I promised Lyra I'd bring you home." Cerebros replied with a chuckle. When they arrived back at the capital, they were not prepared for what they saw. Plumes of smoke rose up from across the city and huge crowds were gathered in the streets holding signs and shouting.

"What's going on down there? What happened?" Wondered Crosshairs. It was just has Zarak and Scorponok had planned. The people were finally discontent with the King's inaction to the point where riots to force his abdication had sprung up with a generous helping of propaganda from the Nebulan News Network, a GRAX subsidiary under Zarak's control. The Autobots had won the battle, but the it was Scorponok and Zarak who were poised to clench victory in the war for Nebulos...

* * *

Back in the sea of A'Koa, the Decepticons had gotten word of the social breakdown across the planet which they had worked to foment in such little time. "Lord Zarak, there are riots all across the planet! The king is losing support from the commoners and nobles alike!" Monzo reported.

"Well done. All of the pieces are in place for us to make our final, triumphant return." Scorponok told him. "But please, in this form I'm to be addressed as Captain Scorponok."

"Understood, captain." Monzo said. Scorponok pressed a button on his wrist, which triggered a rumbling on the island. The ground shook beneath the Decepticons feet and the mansion suddenly disintegrated as a gigantic, purple and green mechanical scorpion emerged from under the ground. Scorponok's new form was complete, and with this his smaller body transformed into a head, then his larger one changed into a gigantic robot body standing over 175 feet tall.

"DECEPTICONS, PREPARE TO MARCH ON KORAJAH, ATTACK!" He shouted. Scorponok then transformed again into a starship, and with this Decepticon fliers changed to their jet modes and took off while ground elements boarded the enormous ship, intending to enter Korajah and appease the people as per Zarak's plan to finally install himself as King, but the Duke of Splendora had his doubts about Scorponok's true intentions and made plans to activate the special bypass code giving him and his fellow Nebulans full control over the Decepticons. The stage was now set for the Autobots and Decepticons to square off in a final climactic battle to determine the fate of Nebulos. No matter which side would emerge victorious, nothing would be the same again...


	12. Broken Glass

**Previously on Tales of the Transformers-**

**On Nebulos, Kup and Cerebros' mission to rescue Galen was an overwhelming success. However, Zarak has enacted his endgame and now citizens across the planet take to the streets to demand King Norren's abdication for his inaction on the Autobots and Decepticons' war, calling for Zarak to be crowned king. Now the Duke of Splendora prepares to enter Korajah and satisfy the Nebulan people's demands, while Scorponok plots to unveil his own schemes as to the fate of the planet. Meanwhile on Cybertron, Starscream's agent Doubledealer, has made contact with Megatron as well as other Decepticon sleeper cells within Iacon and prepares to incite upheaval to distract Ultra Magnus and his Autobots from the arrival of Shockwave and his Decepticon forces as part of their plan to liberate Megatron...**

* * *

"The war between Autobots and Decepticons is dangerous for Nebulos! If His Majesty's government hadn't chosen sides we wouldn't be facing the threat we are today!" Zarak said on a TV interview with Nebulan News Network anchor Joah Vish'un, not long after the Decepticon attack on Splendora.

"Can you tell us what you know about the Autobots and Decepticons? What makes them tick?" Vish'un asked.

"From my sources within the Royal Government, the Autobots and Decepticons are two warring factions of robotic organisms who hail from the planet Cybertron. The Autobots claim that they wish to spread peace and the value of life across the galaxy to us 'lesser races.' It goes to show truly how little they think of beings like us." Zarak explained.

"But what about the Decepticons? Their name makes them sound like the bad guys." Vish'un quizzed the Duke.

"The Decepticons mean well, they really do." Zarak answered, lying. "Their name was attributed to them by Autobot propaganda, but their leader Megatron, in an effort to rally others to his cause, decided to adopt the moniker to insult the Autobots as part of a populist revolution on Cybertron, millions of years ago. Everything you believed about the Autobots is a lie, Joah. When that Autobot held my nephew in his hand after the battle, he was declaring Nebulos to be his!" Everything Zarak said was a lie. He was projecting onto the Autobots what the Decepticons already were as to make them out to be the villains, and in the process vilify the king, Galen, and everyone else who believed the Autobots to be saviors. This news interview had been circulating through Nebulos' media outlets ever since the Decepticon attack and now it was ingrained in the popular conscience of the people. Zarak had manipulated them to not only desensitize them to the idea of King Norren's removal from the throne, but to actively call for such and upheaval to occur, and now the planet had been thrown into turmoil. On the once bustling streets of Korajah, chaos had wrought havoc. Buildings and vehicles were on fire as the people had risen up. "NO! TO NORREN!" They chanted as the outnumbered Royal Guardsmen tried to hold back the waves of citizens thrusting themselves towards the palace.

"The war between the Cybertronians will kill us all!"

"It's all an act so they can take over the planet!"

"Norren's dying, for crying out loud! We need a new king!"

* * *

The _Steelhaven _landed in the courtyard of the palace, where Lyra and Queen Jinna came to greet them. Just as he had promised, Cerebros delivered Galen to Lyra unharmed. "Galen!" She exclaimed with joy, running up to her lover and jumping into his waiting arms.

"Lyra!" He said, happily.

"I was so worried! I thought..." She couldn't get out the rest of her sentence before breaking down in tears.

"Don't worry, dearest. I'm here now." Galen comforted her. "And we'll never be apart again." He leaned in and gave her a kiss on her lips.

"D'aww!" Cooed Peacemaker. The queen, however had less happy news.

"Your father wishes to speak with you. Time is running out." She said. Galen's eyes widened, knowing what she meant. King Norren's time was fast approaching, and with that the three Nebulans went into the palace to the King's chamber where he lay in bed. He was pale and sick, coughing up blood onto his clothing. Several servants were there to tend to the ailing king.

"Galen...my son." He croaked.

"Father!" Galen said, worriedly running over to his father's bedside.

"Galen...I am glad the Autobots' rescue plan worked, and that you're here safe again." He wheezed. "Your test is coming...to determine if you are fit to be king." Galen took his father's hand. "I love you, Galen. Thank you for being my son. Thank you for coming into my life. Thank you for blessing me with the opportunity to pass on this kingdom. Before you go, I have one final word of wisdom, and that is to never back down."

"And I never will. Thank you..." He said, beginning to weep from knowing that this could be the last conversation with his father. "Thank you for being my father. Thank you for making me the man that I am today."

"Jinna...my love." He said, turning his attention to the queen. "Thank you for being the love of my life. I'm thankful for falling in love with you and starting a family." The queen gave her husband a kiss on his lips, then he turned his attention to Lyra.

"Lyra, you're the daughter I always wanted. Look after Galen." He told the girl.

"I will your Majesty." She said.

"I must go, father." Galen said, mustering his courage to leave his father's bedside for what could be the last time he ever saw him. Galen, his mother, and girlfriend returned outside to see the Autobots all staring into the distance. A gigantic starship loomed on the horizon and dozens of Decepticons were launching from it. Zarak, Scorponok, and the Decepticons had made their entrance...

* * *

On Cybertron, Doubledealer, operating under the alias Dealmaker, was able to maintain his cover while inside Autobase Iacon. He was called to the command center by Ultra Magnus for a job detail. "Well, Dealmaker, you're quite capable around here." He complimented the Autobot.

"Thank you, Sir." Dealmaker thanked him.

"I want you to help Perceptor, Grapple, and Hoist out with an important job. They're doing some routine maintenance on the space bridge and they need an extra set of hands." Ultra Magnus explained his new assignment.

"I'll get right on it, sir." Dealmaker said, then he changed to his missile carrier mode and roared away to find the three engineers. A beeping was heard, indicating that he was receiving a transmission. He pulled over, changed to robot mode and hid in a maintenance closet to take it, knowing full well who it was from.

"It's about time you reported in, Doubledealer!" Starscream scolded the spy.

"My apologies, Commander." He apologized.

"Has Lord Megatron received the message?" Starscream then asked.

"Yes, Commander." He answered. The air commander smirked at this. This entire plan was all part of an elaborate scheme to finally earn Megatron's respect and a higher standing in the Decepticons, one preferably above Shockwave.

"When we attack Cybertron, I suspect Ultra Magnus will call for backup in the form of Optimus Prime and his crew on Earth. Ensure that their reinforcements are cut off, as well as any lines of communication."

"Luckily for you I was already on my way to the Autobots' space bridge. I'll do what I can to sabotage it." Doubledealer replied, confidently. "I won't fail you, Commander. Megatron will be free once more."

"And when he is I will get the respect I deserve." Starscream said. Two Autobot soldiers were walking by his hiding spot just as he was finishing his transmission with Starscream. One of them paused and asked his companion,

"Did you hear that?" Doubledealer felt as though his spark skipped a pulse.

"It sounded like someone was talking." The other said. "From in that maintenance closet." He opened the door and saw Doubledealer preparing to sign off his transmission with Starscream.

"Dealmaker! You're a spy?!" They exclaimed. They drew out their weapons to confront and arrest him, but before they could Doubledealer drew his pistol and shot both Autobot troopers, cleanly killing them with a shot to the head each. He then stuffed their bodies inside the closet and tried to act as though nothing else had happened, then changed to vehicle mode and continued on his way to the space bridge to meet Perceptor, Grapple, and Hoist and carry out his sabotage mission as instructed by Starscream.

* * *

Back on Nebulos, Galen and the Autobots watched as Scorponok, Zarak, and the Decepticons hovered menacingly above Korajah. Even the protesters in the street paused and looked up, as did the Royal Guardsmen sent to quell the uprisings as the citizens inched closer and closer to the palace. "People of Nebulos!" Came a voice. Someone recognized it as belonging to Zarak and they all quieted down. He was flanked by the Decepticon Headmasters and Targetmasters.

"It's Lord Zarak!"

"It is with regret that I inform you that His Majesty's government has failed you. He has stood idly by while Prince Galen, Colonel Duros, Lord Arcana, and others have thrown in with the treacherous Autobots. As such, I have formed an alliance with the Decepticons to defeat them and their supporters and cast them out, and when the battle is won I will gladly accept the throne." The people cheered for Zarak and his intentions of delivering them from the chaos that had befallen their planet. However, Galen had something to say about that, and the Autobots all stood behind them, shoulder to shoulder, ready to protect the prince and do battle with their enemy.

"If you're going to lie about us, do it to our faces!" The Prince declared. "My subjects, you have been lied to! The Decepticons, nor Zarak are no saviors! He is doing this only to claim the throne for himself! They are the ones who want to conquer this planet and enslave all of us! Zarak cares nothing about people like you! He only wants the power to control you and every aspect of your lives, and the Autobots are the only ones with a prayer of stopping them!" Galen shouted at the people. He wasn't sure if this would work after the people had been constantly exposed to the media narrative that everything Zarak said was true. He specifically targeted Splendora with the intent of making himself out to be the victim and gain sympathy from the Nebulan people. "He even tried to murder me when I was still in my mother's womb!" Galen declared. "What kind of king carries aspirations like this?!" Zarak was anxious as to how the crowd would behave after Galen's speech.

"Kill them!" Zarak shouted, turning his back and pacing away. The Headmasters and Targetmasters opened fire, killing many citizens and Royal Guardsmen.

"Attack!" Cerebros shouted to the Autobots as they sprang into action, and the battle for Korajah began in earnest...

* * *

On Cybertron, Dealmaker arrived at the space bridge receiver not far within the compound which made up Autobase Iacon where the three engineers were overseeing multiple other technicians and assistants.

"Ah, Dealmaker, you're just in time!" Perceptor said as he paused from analyzing some of its components.

"What do you want me to to?" Dealmaker asked.

"Find Grapple. He'll fill you in on the specifics." Perceptor answered. Dealmaker once again changed to his vehicle mode and drove off to find Grapple. The Autobot in question was working with a team of technicians to disconnect the energon power conduits.

"There you are, Dealmaker." Grapple said. "We're changing out the power couplings on the conduits. I want you to bring up the new ones and help cart away the old ones.

"Alright, I'll get to it." Of course, he was going to find some method of sabotaging them. His chance came once all of the power couplings to the conduit had been replaced and the conduit was ready to be reconnected to the receiver. He discretely loosened the coupling's fastener to the conduit to cause a short in the circuitry, which hopefully would ignite and detonate the energon inside the conduit and set off a chain reaction which would also take out the space bridge, thereby preventing Ultra Magnus from being able to link up with Optimus Prime's forces on Earth. Perceptor manned the control console, while Grapple, Hoist, and the others stood back. He began the startup procedure, activating the power cells which drew in the energy from the energon conduits. Doubledealer knew what was about to occur and he said to Hoist and Grapple,

"I've got to go, Ultra Magnus wanted me to run another errand after I finished helping you!" Of course, he was lying. He was trying to get as far away from the explosion which was soon to go off. He changed to his vehicle mode and roared away, but Grapple began to have a sneaking suspicion about his true intentions. The control panel read that the generator was operating at 100 percent capacity and nominal vortex projection stability was attainable.

"Stand by!" Perceptor called, and when he pressed the button to open a portal it happened. Before anyone could realize what had happened, the space bridge went was engulfed in a ball of fire and a massive explosion shook the base. Even within the Dark Heart, Megatron was woken from a nap by the shock wave of the explosion. He smiled and had a feeling of what had just occured.

"What's going on?! Status report!" Ultra Magnus exclaimed as alarms blared throughout the base.

"It came from the space bridge!" Nightbeat reported.

"Come on, let's see what we can do to help out there! Transform and roll out!" Ultra Magnus boomed to Nightbeat, Hosehead, Siren, Swerve, Tailgate, Outback, Flak, Big Shot, Sidetrack, Sunrunner, the Protectobots, Aerialbots, and Militiabots changed to their vehicle modes and raced to the scene. Nothing could prepare them for the horrors they saw. The space bridge was unrecognizable, with pieces of its superstructure scattered about and flaming pieces of debris still raining down and crashing into the ground. Bodies lay about the scene, charred beyond recognition. Shadows of where some stood moments before the catastrophic detonation were etched into the ground. Perceptor, Grapple, and Hoist were all pulled from the rubble soon enough. Grapple came to and found Hoist and Perceptor beside, him or rather, their lifeless hulls as he was soon to find out.

"Ultra...Magnus?" He gasped. "Hoist, Perceptor-where are they?" Ultra Magnus frowned, crestfallen.

"I'm afraid...they didn't make it." He said, somberly. Hearing these words stirred something in Grapple. Dealmaker had not managed to attract any unwanted attention from other Autobots, preferring instead to keep to himself. However, Grapple saw him running away in a rather hasty manner before the explosion, and such behavior made him rather suspicious. "Hoist...Perceptor." Grapple said. He rolled over, much to the dismay of Fixit and Safeline, to talk with them. "It's not fair! We're just engineers! Scientists trying to help Cybertron and put and end to all of this! They didn't deserve to die like this, not when there was still so much more work to be done!" He sobbed.

"This is what we signed up for, Grapple. This is what happens in war, and it's not pretty." Ultra Magnus said, grimly. His words did nothing to comfort the grief stricken Autobot, who mourned for the loss of his two comrades.

* * *

On Chaar, Shockwave and his forces within Trypticon were finally ready for liftoff. "Prepare to initiate activation." Shockwave informed Starscream, Onslaught, Soundwave, Motormaster, and Razorclaw. He pressed a button on the command console, and at the core of the sprawling battle station, Trypticon's long dormant spark suddenly flared to life. Energy coursed through his massive form, shaking the ground beneath him."Trypticon, TRANSFORM!" Shockwave roared, and with his command, Trypticon's shape began to change from the battle station mode Shockwave had found him in to that of his menacing starship mode, then massive thrusters fired and heaved the enormous vessel into the cloudless skies of Chaar and into orbit.

"Preparing to set course for Cybertron." Starscream said, taking the navigator's seat to input the coordinates for Cybertron.

"That won't be necessary, Starscream. I have not received any transmissions from Scorponok as of late. He and his crew will be essential for out assault on Cybertron. The modifications with which they have outfitted themselves will turn out to be most...useful. Input these coordinates into the nav-computer and prepare to make the jump to light speed.

"As you wish, Commander." Starscream said. As instructed, he input the coordinates for Nebulos and Trypticon was steered into the right trajectory to make the jump into hyperspace, and then he blasted past the speed of light. If Cerebros and the Autobots currently embroiled in the fighting thought they had seen everything the Decepticons were throwing at them, they were soon to find out how wrong they were...


	13. Love and Steel

**Previously on Tales of the Transformers-**  
**On Nebulos Galen, Cerebros, Kup, and the Autobots face off against Scorponok and Zarak's Decepticons in a no-holds barred, all-or-nothing battle in the capital city of Korajah with the fate of the planet hanging in the balance. As this battle for the Nebulan throne unfolds, Shockwave makes his way to the embattled planet to reign in his ally's ambitions to consolidate their forces for their impending attack on Cybertron. Meanwhile, Grapple, after surviving a catastrophic explosion which killed his close friends Hoist and Perceptor, suspects a Decepticon spy in their midst...**

* * *

The battle of Korajah was raging. The Autobots, even with such small numbers, were bolstered by their Headmasters, Targetmasters, and a combiner team, something Scorponok and his pirates were sorely lacking. "Technobots, form up! We're going to need Computron's power if we're gonna take down these pirates!" Scattershot said as he landed after blasting multiple Decepticons out of the sky.

"Right!" The other Technobots agreed. The five then initiated their combination sequence and transformed into Computron.

"Get'em, Computron!" Kup shouted up to the behemoth. Computron wasted no time in unleashing a barrage of missile fire, while Kup, Hot Rod, Blurr, Sureshot, Crosshairs, Pointblank, Cog, Grotesque, Repugnus, and Doublecross lit up the battlefield with a blistering torrent of firepower of their own and mowed down an advancing wave of Decepticons.

"Headmasters, attack!" Cerebros shouted to his comrades, and behind him Brainstorm, Hardhead, Chromedome, and Highbrow charged into the fray. Hardhead fired his main turret while Duros manned a smaller machine gun, Brainstorm strafed the enemy, swooping over them pass after pass and releasing cluster bombs which fragmented and sent white-hot slag exploding through the ranks of the Decepticons, Chrromedome sliced through enemies one after the next with his needles, precisely targeting joints and vitals to kill instantly, and Highbrow loitered overhead as Gort fired a door-mounted heavy repeating cannon.

"Get some, Decepticons!" He shouted down to his enemies below. Combat wasn't a new sensation, but it was one the Baron still wasn't accustomed to.

"Headmasters, Targetmasters, counterattack!" Scorponok called to his troops, realizing that he was on the verge of being outmatched. Weirdwolf, Skullcruncher, Snapdragon, Snowcat, and Demolishor advanced on the ground while Misfire, Mindwipe, Apeface, Slugslinger, and Triggerhappy took to the skies as the Decepticons launched their counterattack. As this unfolded, Scorponok finally confronted Cerebros.

"You have some real bearings trying to take me on like this, Cerebros!" He taunted as they did battle, servo to servo.

"That's because I'm not going to lie down and be crushed like so many who've fallen to you!" Cerebros said as he landed a high kick to Scorponok's chest which sent him sliding back across the asphalt, then while he reeled from his blow he hit him again, swinging his fist in an arc which terminated right in Scorponok's face, but with Zarak sharing control over his body he had the reflexes to counter the attack and blocked it. Zarak commanded Scorponok's body to then grab Cerebros' arm and sling the Autobot captain with all his might away, sending him crashing through a building.

"Cerebros!" Galen exclaimed.

"Captain!" Kup shouted in dismay as well. He turned to the rest of the Targetmasters. "Focus your fire on Scorponok!" The Targemasters then brought all their firepower to bear on the combined form of Zarak and Scorponok. He was more than ready to face the attacks coming his way...

* * *

On Cybertron, Grapple and whatever survivors were pulled from the rubble after the space bridge's explosion were rushed to the Iacon General Hospital, the largest Autobot medical facility on Cybertron. By the time they had arrived, the death toll had risen from 18 to 30, as multiple survivors from the explosion had succumbed to their injuries. Grapple was about the join that number when Fixit, Bluelight, and Safeline opted to undergo surgery to save him. He was being wheeled into the operating room when Ultra Magnus came to see him. "Magnus." He wheezed. "Something about this doesn't add up. I don't think this explosion was an accident."

"What are you suggesting?" Ultra Magnus wondered.

"I think there's a spy in our midst." Grapple said.

"Come on! If we're going to do surgery, we need to do it now! Sorry, sir, we need to get Grapple onto the operating table immediately!" Fixit said, urgently.

"Of course. Sorry to get in the way." Ultra Magnus apologized. Safeline and Bluelight pushed his gurney into the operating room, and Ultra Magnus watched, hoping and praying that he would survive. Losing Hoist and Perceptor was quite the loss after everything they had done for the Autobot cause, from helping Wheeljack construct the Ark, to designing and building the space bridge, to devising their strategy to use the Enigma of Combination against the Decepticons. Grapple was right, there had to have been a Decepticon agent amidst the ranks of the Autobots. More importantly, the possibility loomed over him that the destruction of the space bridge was not some random act of terror, but a calculated move in a larger design. He left the hospital and outside Nightbeat came up to him after changing to his robot mode.

"What's the word, sir?" He asked.

"Not good. 30 Dead, 78 injured." Ultra Magnus answered, grimly. "I've also got a report that there's a spy in our midst."

"A spy?" Nightbeat asked.

"Did I stutter? There's a spy in our ranks. I want you to put together a team to root him out." Ultra Magnus replied.

"Consider it done." Nightbeat said, and he changed to his vehicle mode, roaring away on this task given to him by Ultra Magnus. Meanwhile, it was Dealmaker's turn to pass out Energon rations within the maximum security wing of the Dark Heart. He reached Megatron, who sat comfortably on his bunk reading a book.

"Good news, Lord Megatron." Doubledealer said to catch the Decepticon leader's attention. Megatron raised an eyebrow, knowing what he was talking about.

"The space bridge?" He asked, inquisitively. Doubledealer gave a smirk of confirmation. Megatron replied with his own smirk. "Which means Ultra Magnus has been cut off from his reinforcements. Excellent. When will the main force be arriving?"

"Don't know. Starscream didn't care to divulge that information with my last set of instructions." Doubledealer answered. Megatron smiled and crossed one leg over the other. However, something told him that Starscream was not the real mastermind behind this operation.

"The only thing better than change is a pleasant surprise, then."

* * *

The Autobots and Decepticons continued their epic battle on Nebulos. Despite being outnumbered, the Autobots held their own against the enemy, repelling wave after wave of attacks against the palace. "Keep pushing!" Shouted Skullcruncher over the roar of gunfire. "They'll break soon enough!" Indeed, the pirates' strength in numbers was certainly enough to overpower the Autobots, but none could have predicted the tenacity with which they fought. Hot Rod tore through the Decepticons, blowing one to pieces with Firebolt and another's head off with a blast of his triple wrist mounted blasters. For once, Kup was quite pleased with his impulsiveness and reckless energy.

"He's doing pretty good, isn't he?" Kup asked, pausing from the battle. Recoil jumped out of his hand and transformed. "

"Who?" He wondered. Kup pointed at Hot Rod as he laid waste to one unfortunate member of Scorponok's pirate crew after the next.

"Hot Rod. He's a pain in the exhaust manifold, but when the kid gets serious he shows that he's got it in him." Kup answered, thoughtfully.

"No time for that now!" Recoil said, changing back to his weapon mode and jumping into his partner's hand so that Kup could defend himself from an incoming attack by Demolishor and Snowcat.

* * *

Meanwhile, Galen and Llyra attempted to rally whatever Royal Guards he could to his command in order to get as many people as possible out of harm's way.

"Your Highness!" Exclaimed a Lieutenant. "What are you doing here, it's unsafe!"

"Don't worry, about me, Lieutenant! Gather your men and get them to direct the people into the walls of the palace compound. They'll be safe in there. See to it that a triage unit is set up to treat the injured."

"At once!" He said, obediently.

"Come on, Llyra!" Galen said to his girlfriend, taking her by her hand and the two scurried through the battle, dodging and weaving as explosions burst around them. They ran into a building and Galen shouted, "EVERYONE, YOU NEED TO GET OUT OF HERE! THE PALACE IS THE SAFEST PLACE FOR NOW!" The people, roused to action by the prince's command, quickly stopped whatever they were doing and ran to the exit.

"Follow me!" Llyra called as she then lead them to the gates of the palace. Before she left, she and Galen went to each other.

"Be careful." She said to her lover.

"Don't worry. Remember this" He said. Galen paused, took her into his embrace, and gave her a kiss. "I love you."

"Be safe." She said to him, then she jogged away to the front of her group of people. The effort to get the people to safety was already well underway as lower level leadership were shepherding citizens towards the palace. Lyra found a crew-served machine gun from a Royal Guardsman who had been killed and used it to protect herself, wrapping herself with belts of ammunition. A pirate changed from his vehicle mode and blocked the group's path.

"Hahaha! You meatbags'll never get past me!" He roared, menacingly. Llyra, refusing to be intimidated, then pointed her rifle at his face and dumped rounds upon rounds into him. She tried to aim for his face so as to blind him. The weapon was loud and its recoil made it hard to aim.

"Ah, my eyes!" He howled in pain, and while he clenched his face Hardhead stomped through, blasting him through the chest with his shoulder cannon, then he changed to vehicle mode.

"Llyra!" Duros said.

"Colonel, we have wounded, you and Hardhead, get them to the palace!" She instructed. Hardhead took a moment to look at Llyra holding the machine gun with belts of ammunition draped across her shoulders.

"Stop looking at me! That's disgusting!" She squealed, embarrassed.

"I wasn't looking at those!" Duros said, defensively. Regardless, Duros guided as many as he could aboard Hardhead and he drove them to the palace.

"Lyra! Lyra!" Came a familiar voice. Lyra jerked her head around to find Galen and a handful of Royal Guardsman leading another group of citizens through the chaos.

"Hardhead and Duros just left with a group. They'll be back for more." She told her lover.

"That's good." Galen replied, pleased. He took to a second to look at her brandishing her machine gun and stores of ammunition.

"Like it?" She asked in a flirtatious manner.

"It's a good look for you." Galen replied, flatteringly as he blushed. Hardhead and Duros were able to successfully drop off their load of people inside the gates of the palace, where Royal Guardsmen then came to treat the wounded as well as hand out food, water, and blankets.

"Come on, we need to get back to Llyra's position to get more people!" Hardhead reminded the Colonel. Duros looked out at this. Never before in his years of service to the crown had the Royal Guard faced such a threat. "Colonel! Colonel!" Hardhead shouted, trying to break his trance. Duros ran back to Hardhead and the Autobot then rumbled away back to Llyra and Galen's position.

* * *

Not far from them, Cerebros and Scorponok continued their battle.

"Give up already, Cerebros!" Scorponok snarled as he threw a flurry of punches at his opponent, all landing and dealing massive damage. With his mouthplate dented and energon dripping down, Cerebros refused.

"Not a chance!" He gasped as he then changed to his six-wheeler mode to put some distance between himself and Scorponok before changing back to robot mode and firing his pistols. A torrent of laser blasts spewed from their barrels as he squeezed the trigger until they clicked, signalling that they were out of ammunition. He had no replacement magazines, meaning that Cerebros would have to think of a solution to combat Scorponok without any ranged weapons, fast. He then remembered an important fact about his pistols. He remembered to transform them into a pair of combat knives and just as Scorponok came charging at him he then jabbed at him. Scorponok, however, deployed a blade off of his wrist to block his knife attacks and they dueled. Meanwhile, Hardhead and Duros returned to find Galen and Llyra had linked up and a larger crowd of people was waiting behind them.

"Come on, get aboard!" Hardhead called. People began to pile into him, with Galen and Llyra helping them. However, Hardhead was soon packed with people. This gave Galen an idea.

"Cerebros! Come in, Cerebros!" He radioed him. Cerebros and Scorponok's blades clashed as the Steelhaven's captain heard his transmission come through.

"I'm a little preoccupied right now!" Cerebros replied. He kicked Scorponok away to buy time.

"We need you over here! Hardhead and Duros are evacuating people to the palace and we need you to get over here and pull your weight!" Galen replied, urgently.

"Roger that, I'm on the way!" Cerebros said. He changed to his vehicle mode and roared away. Scorponok then changed to his vehicle mode.

"After him!" Zarak shouted as he and Scorponok gave chase. Cerebros roared through the battle, changing to robot mode drawing out his knife-pistols and ripping through a Decepticon, then changing to robot mode and finally arriving to Galen, Llyra, Duros, and Hardhead's position to help with the evacuation.

"I'm here!" He called to his friend. However, just before he was about to change to vehicle mode and allow for the boarding of citizens, Scorponok roared in, transformed to robot mode and combined with Zarak.

"Hahaha! Galen, you fool!" He cackled. Scorponok, with his two shoulder mounted blasters, opened fire on the crowd of people.

"GET DOWN!" Duros yelled to the people. Even as they ran for cover, Scorponok mowed them down as Zarak commanded. Machine gun fire tore through the crowd of people as they scattered about, mowing down many. Scorponok pivoted in a wide arc, firing wildly, and consequently, Galen was caught in his crosshairs. Llyra then saw this.

"Llyra, no!" Duros yelled. She jumped in front of Galen and the young woman's life flashed before her life, six years of love, happiness, and comfort from Galen. She was doing this to protect the one she loved when the laser blast struck her in her shoulder. Everything was a blur to Galen as he saw his girlfriend fall to the ground in a heap. Duros watched in silence as his friend and protege shrieked, stricken with grief.

"_**NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!**_"

"Galen." She gasped.

"Stay with me, Llyra! Don't leave me!" Galen pleaded his lover. Llyra gave him a warm smile. "I need you! Please!"

"Galen, my dear, sweet Galen." Llyra said. A tear rolled from the Prince's eye as she spoke her dying words. "I was a shy, young girl when we first met in that ballroom six years ago. We've both changed since we met. I'm so happy to have the chance to know you, to be with you, to love you." Galen was choking up as his lover said these words to him. She reached up and wiped the tears from his eyes. He held her hand and clenched it. "There's still so much for us to do. So many places to go. Galen Holless, I love you, with everything that I am. No force in the universe can break the bond we share."

"Please! Please, Llyra! Please don't go!" Galen sobbed.

"I will always be with you." Llyra whispered, but as her last breath left her body a smile crossed her face as she slipped into unconsciousness. Galen clenched her hand, and for that time everything stood still as he sobbed and wailed with grief as he held her body in his arms.

"Llyra! Lyra! LLYYYYYRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Galen screamed in anguish, fearing for the worst that the woman he loved most had died in his arms.

* * *

Meanwhile, in orbit above the planet, a ship dropped out of hyperspace. It was Trypticon, and aboard it was Shockwave, Starscream, and all of the Decepticons formerly under Megatron's direct command as well as any hangers-on who had escaped the rout after the final battle in the combiner wars. "We've made it, Commander." Starscream reported as Shockwave arrived on the bridge.

"Take us down to the surface." Shockwave replied, and with that Trypticon then began his descent into the planet's atmosphere...


	14. Brothers in Armor

**Previously on Tales of the Transformers-**

**As the battle for Korajah rages on, Prince Galen grieves for the loss of his lover, Llyra Zarrian, who gave her life to save him as Scorponok launches a counterattack and Shockwave prepares to make his presence known as part of his plans to rally an armada of Decepticons to free Megatron from captivity in the Dark Heart. On Cybertron, Ultra Magnus assembles a team lead by Nightbeat to find the spy in their midst, with no knowledge of the impending attack and its consequences on the balance of power between the Autobots and Decepticons as a whole...**

* * *

"Take us down to the surface." Shockwave replied to Starscream after they had entered the system. "Scorponok's little enterprise is jeopardizing our plans" With that Trypticon then began his descent into the planet's atmosphere. Down below, Scorponok's communicator Archive, a former subordinate of the long-dead warlord Saberclash, radioed him.

"Captain, I'm picking up a huge ship entering the atmosphere! It's registering Decepticon energy signatures!" He said. As Scorponok watched Galen grieve over Llyra's assumed death, he turned away. Zarak and he were now one in the same, and he consequently felt the guilt of murdering the one Galen loved.

"Shockwave." Scorponok murmured.

"Now's my chance! I must enact the override protocol." Zarak thought to himself. Nothing he did could bring back the loss of the woman who Galen loved so dearly, but Zarak now realized just how much this bid for power had cost him. Although it would be never be enough to atone for what he had taken from his nephew, he decided that bringing the Decepticons to heel would . These thoughts crossed his mind as well as Scorponok's, and as Zarak then initiated Scorponok's transformation he then pressed a button on his wrist communicator which simultaneously made the other Headmasters and Targetmasters tense up and freeze, and consequently the battle ground to a halt.

"What's happening!?" They exclaimed as they felt as though they had lost all control over their bodies.

"Come on, lads! Never get in the way of the enemy's missteps!" Kup called to the Autobots to rally them for a counterattack. However, their advantage was a fleeting one.

"You're all mine to control now!" Zarak cackled. However, Scorponok then sent out a powerful wave of ultrasonic distortions which rippled into Zarak's head.

"You pitiful little man!" He purred over a telepathic link. "I knew this was going to happen all along, don't you remember we are connected. Even our thoughts are intertwined. I rendered your little deactivation protocol inactive before you even finished coding it!" He then transformed and with his hands picked Zarak up and forced him to change into his head. Scorponok then sent out this wave of distortions to then neutralize the override code in the other binary-bonded Decepticons.

"What?! How!?" Zarak exclaimed, horrified by this sudden development. It now began to make sense to him why the Decepticons got their name. He was a tool in their plot to take over Nebulos. He would have no real power once Scorponok came to power. He would be reduced to a puppet, a slave, stripped of his own free will. He then realized what his bid for power had cost him. No amount of power would be worth sacrificing his freedom for, but that was a lesson he was much too late in learning.

"I think you fail to realize something, Lord Zarak." Scoprponok said as Zarak connected to him, forming his head. "We are not bound to you. You are bound to us!"

"UNCLE!" Galen exclaimed. He feared that he had lost his wife-to-be and now Galen watched as Zarak was now taken prisoner by the Decepticons.

"Now I, King Scorponok, will inaugurate my reign over this planet by leveling this city!" Scorponok smiled, darkly. In the clouds above the city, his larger body flew down in its ship mode and hovered ominously above the city to him, bombarding everything in sight with laser cannons and proton bombs until it was directly over him. He then leaped into the air and in an incredible display of power the two transformed and combined into one massive, towering robot mode. Bristling with weapons all across his body, he then prepared to unleash a burst of laser blasts in every direction until Computron zoomed in, firing salvo upon salvo of missiles at Scorponok.

"Have at you, Scorponok! Though I must say, I have calculated your probability of succeeding at 0.00003 percent!" Computron taunted as he launched a flurry of long range attacks.

"Hahaha!" Scorponok guffawed. "I have made a calculation of my own, Autobot!" He reached out and with one claw he caught Computron, who squirmed in his grasp.

"Nonsense! You lack enough processing power to locate your own exhaust port!" Computron snarled, defiantly. Scorponok grinned as he tightened his grip. Computron shouted in anguish as the towering Decepticon held him in his ever-tightening grasp, squeezing harder and harder until the pain was too great, incapacitating the combiner, the Scorponok proceeded to raise him over his head and with both claws he tore Computron to pieces splattering himself with the deluge of energon which exploded out of him.

"COMPUTRON!" Kup exclaimed. The shattered fragments of the Autobots' only hope of clenching victory in the battle for Korajah fell to the ground. He ran to Scattershot as he then smashed into the ground, as well as the bodies of Afterburner, Lightspeed, who were killed already after bleeding out, while Strafe and Nosecone were left critically injured and risked succumbing to their injuries as well.

"Stay with me, Scattershot!" Kup said as he anxiously tried to administer emergency aid to the Technobot while Recoil looked on.

"Kup." He groaned. A tear was forming in the Sergeant Major's eye, which was an unheard of experience, but he could not hold them back.

"I'm here." Kup said as he held Scattershot's hand. He remembered when Kup first came knocking on the door to his flat in northeastern Iacon during the wee hours of the morning. He always kept a blaster on hand in case of someone trying to break and enter, and vividly remembered drawing it upon his unwitting guest. He remembered back to the days of working with Shockwave and the others at the Iacon University of Applied Sciences in their efforts to map the entire Cybertronian genome and the accident which resulted in the proving of the Combiner Gene's existence, then after that their reunion 4.1 million years later. He had contributed much to the Autobot cause in the span of a few months, and was proud of his service.

"Please...Please, Kup. Don't...don't..." He gasped.

"Out with it, lad!" Kup said, beginning to sob.

"Don't let us die...in...vain." Then Scattershot's spark flickered out and his body was drained of color, his grip of Kup's hand loosening before slipping away entirely. This had happened dozens of times before over the millennia which Kup had served the Autobot cause. On thousands of worlds, he had stood over comrades in their dying moments, to the point where he had become numb to the pain.

"Come on." Kup said to Recoil. A group of more pirates were staring them down after Kup stood up and turned around. The Nebulan changed to his weapon mode and Kup, eyes alight with a lust for revenge for his comrade, screamed at the top of his voicebox as he wildly charged into the mass of pirates and proceeded to tear through them. Recoil sent blast after blast of explosive plasma shells toward their targets, impacting in a fireball which took out multiple targets at the same time, and when they got close Kup employed his servo-to-servo combat skills to break arms and legs and snap necks. One came running at him with a sword, but Recoil blasted the weapon out of his hand and Kup took it for himself and proceeded to cut him down with one strike. The Autobots and the Royal Guard continued to battle the enemy all throughout the city, but then as the forces of the Nebulan crown were close to breaking the stalemate and sending Scorponok and his Decepticons to rout, another huge ship broke through the clouds. It was Trypticon, with Shockwave in command.

* * *

"All weapons are fully operational, commander!" Brawl said, eagerly from his station. Shockwave looked down upon the embattled city and eyed Scorponok's huge form.

"Open fire with the main plasma cannons, we shall do what we must to attract Scorponok's attention." Shockwave said. He then turned towards Starscream, Thundercracker, and Skywarp. "Starscream, you shall accompany me to the surface."

"Surely, Commander." Starscream said. Trypticon's plasma beam cannons, located in two pods at the aft of the ship's superstructure, then charged up to fire.

"Fire!" Onslaught barked, who served as the ship's weapons control officer. The plasma cannons were fully charged and a volley of purple energy balls erupted forth, which then exploded all across the city. The Autobots and Royal Guardsmen were thrown into chaos by this.

"Where is all of that fire coming from?" Galen exclaimed, frantically trying to figure this out. It couldn't have been Scorponok, who continued to stand still.

"I don't know, Your Highness, but we need to get moving!" Cerebros said. He changed to his APC mode and Galen then delicately placed Llyra's cold, lifeless body into his cargo hold, where they then drove away to find Hardhead and Duros to formulate a new strategy. The next wave of Shockwave's attack began as he, Starscream, Thundercracker, Skywarp, Thrust, Dirge, Ramjet, Slipstream, and Dreadwing swooped in and buzzed Scorponok.

"Enough of this, Scorponok! Withdraw your forces immediately, lest our plans to rescue Lord Megatron fall through!" Shockwave scolded him as he jetted in and changed to robot mode. He then fired a blast of energy from his hand cannon to agitate him.

"Argh!" Scorponok shouted. Back down below, Galen and Cerebros met up with Hardhead, Duros, Chromedome, and Stylor.

"Have more reinforcements come?" Chromedome wondered. Cerebros transformed and Galen held Llyra's body in his arms, then the Captain of the Steelhaven looked up into the air to see a horrifying sight. Shockwave and Scorponok were in the throes of combat.

"No. It's the opposite of reinforcements." He said, gravely. From above, the whine of jet engines could be heard growing ever louder.

"DIE, AUTOBOTS!" Starscream shrieked as he and the seekers roared in and strafed the Autobots. More Decepticon air units followed him as they created a diversion to prevent the Autobots and Nebulans from taking advantage of Scorponok being distracted by his fight with Shockwave.

"No! Nebulos will be mine to rule!" Scorponok snarled as he swung his claw, batting Shockwave away. The Decepticons' chief operations strategist was not so easily beaten, and to reengage his opponent he transformed to his orbital cannon mode and unleashed a blast of energy which blew Scorponok back, straight towards Galen's position.

"Look out!" Hardhead exclaimed as he and Duros changed to robot mode and tackled Cerebros and Chromedome to safety. Scorponok slid back, smashing through the city and laying in the rubble in a daze. For some reason, Galen felt a need to call out to his uncle.

"Zarak!" He exclaimed. Somehow, Zarak heard his nephew's voice. Only now did he realize how blessed he was to have Galen as his nephew. For all his life, he hated Galen for how he stole his chances of being king, and yet out of the two of them Galen acted as though he was far more deserving to wear the crown. He was kind and generous. He put the needs of others before his own. He was an officer in the army and carried out charity work with money he raised himself. He loved those who were close to him and cared deeply for their needs, all while smiling brightly. Galen was the true king of Nebulos and proved himself such through both his words and deeds alike. In the palace, King Norren and Queen Jinna had been moved to the bunker below ground.

"Zarak." King Norren wheezed. "I know there is still good in you." Queen Jinna realized what had happened. The Decepticon invasion was all the result of Zarak's collusion with Scorponok so that he could take the throne by force. However, she also realized that the prospect of making a deal with barbarians such as Scorponok he had carried out unspeakable acts of destruction and death across the planet and he began to feel remorse for these wretched deeds. "Galen...my son. You have made me the proudest father there ever was." King Norren smiled, and Queen Jinna then leaned over to kiss her husband one last time. After that, King Norren drew his last breath, and with a smile on his face he passed peacefully away.

* * *

For a brief moment, Zarak felt the love being poured out for him by his son and his now deceased brother. He had finally come to a point of reckoning, and his next choice would change the course of his life. He felt as though his spirit was on fire, and for a few seconds he was able to personally take full control of Scorponok's body. Galen gasped as Scorponok's huge form then hoisted itself to its feet with Zarak in control.

"Galen." He said. "I was wrong." His nephew was speechless as his uncle's words escaped the lips of his enemy. "You are the only one among us who can lead this world. Take heart and be proud." Zarak then stood up to face Shockwave, who was astounded that he was even able to get up from his attack. "Leave my planet alone!" Zarak roared, and as his grip on Scorponok began to slip away he fired off a barrage of lasers from his shoulder and arm mounted laser cannons and mortars at Shockwave, Starscream, all of the Decepticon air units, and Trypticon. At last, Scorponok was able to regain control over his body and prevent more ordance from discharging.

"Argh! Zarak, you insolent pest! If I didn't need you to survive I would grind you into a pulp under my foot!" Scorponok roared, angrily. The battle was now lost, and with it Scorponok's hopes of conquering Nebulos. "Decepticons, retreat, we're getting out of here! Shockwave needs us for the attack on Cybertron." With his command, the Decepticons and their Nebulan partners then fled the battle as he then changed to his starship mode. The battle was now over, but this victory came at a great cost, yet those who were left shouted and cheered with jubilee as they gathered around the Prince.

"We did it! We won!" Sureshot cheered.

"Barely." Spoilsport muttered.

"We did it, Llyra." Galen spoke to her body, pretending that she could still hear him. "We won." A smile crossed Llyra's unconscious face, which made Galen and everyone else ecstatic.

"Galen?" She asked as he held her in his arms.

"Llyra!" Galen said, as tears of indescribable joy welled in his eyes.

"Galen, my love!" She cooed as they kissed for the first time in what seemed like an eternity. "I was so worried."

"That makes two of us!" Galen chuckled, drying his eyes. He then let her down and as he did so he felt something shift in his pocket. He remembered what it was and he pulled it out and got down onto one knee while opening a tiny box.

"Llyra Zarrian...will you join me at my side as Queen of Nebulos? Will you marry me?" He asked her. Llyra could hold back her excitement no longer. She was so overjoyed that she burst into tears.

"Yes! I will, my darling Prince! I answered that question in the ballroom six years ago! Nothing would make me happier!" She squealed with glee as they shared a kiss. The stone-sparked Kup would not be finished crying that day, except now it was tears of happiness for the Prince and his fiance.

"Awww!" Hot Rod said. "Sergeant Major, you softie!" He teased.

"DO YOU WANT ANOTHER PRESSING, TURBO REVVIN' YOUNG PUNK!?" Kup shouted, deflecting this. Unfortunately, with the news of Galen's proposal to Llyra also came the news of King Norren's passing. However, Galen smiled when the courier delivered his message.

"He lived a good life. All I have for him is my gratitude." Galen said, thoughtfully.

* * *

The next day was both the funeral for King Norren, Galen and Llyra's wedding, and their subsequent coronation. The Archbishop of Korajah officiated the ceremony in the palace courtyard with the Autobots and their partners in attendance.

"Galen, do you take Llyra to be your wife?" He asked.

"I do." Answered the prince.

"And Llyra, do you take Galen to be your husband?"

"Yes, I do!" She said, excitedly.

"Then it is by the power vested in me that I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride!" The Archbishop announced jovially. Galen then took Llyra into his loving embrace and kissed wife.

"I'm so proud of you, Galen!" Cerebros sobbed for his closest friend. Out of everyone he was crying the most, as he was the first Nebulan he had met. He was proud to see him come so far. The Archbishop was also responsible for bestowing to Galen the crown of Nebulos' king.

"Galen Holless, do you swear to protect the Planet of Nebulos and all its provinces?" He asked.

"I swear!" Galen declared, holding his head high.

"Do you swear to always place before your own the needs of the people of the Planet Nebulos?"

"I swear!"

"Will you swear to be faithful in all other duties in striving to rule this planet and its people with a fair and just hand?"

"I swear!"

"Then let it be known that with the blessing of the people of Nebulos, you shall be their rightful ruler!" The Archbishop of Korajah declared. Queen Jinna, who had personally requested to do so, then placed upon her son's head the crown worn by his father before him with as proud a smile as a mother could bear, and upon her daughter-in-law her own crown. The new King and Queen then turned and faced their subjects, who all then took a knee, including the Autobots.

"LONG LIVE THE KING!" They chanted. "LONG LIVE KING GALEN!" King Galen smiled as he held his wife's hand, basking in the praise of their subjects for which they had fought so hard to protect.

"I am proud to wear this crown! I am proud to call myself your king!" Galen declared. "But there is a mission I have tasked myself with." There was a hush over the crowd. "Lord Zarak and a handful of other elites colluded with Scorponok and the Decepticons. He is ultimately responsible for all of this violence and death that you have no doubt seen unfold around you. That is why I will leave Nebulos with our allies, nigh, friends, Captain Cerebros and his crew of heroic Autobot warriors to hunt down and bring Zarak and his accomplices to justice." Gasps of shock could be heard rippling through the crowd, that was until Galen finished his statement. "In my place, I leave my wife, Queen Llyra, to rule, advised by my mother, Queen Jinna. Their word is to be regarded with equal authority as my own." The king then turned to his queen.

"Galen...no!" She said. "You can't go, now that we've married! What about our honeymoon?"

"I'm sorry, Llyra. Zarak can't get away with what he's done to our world. I'm going to return with Zarak, and when I do we will have our honeymoon, and it will be the best one ever!" He said. "I promise to you, on my honor as Nebulos' king!" He kissed his dear wife's hand and with that, he and the Autobots, carrying their dead, boarded the _Steelhaven._

"Goodbye, Nebulos." The Autobots all said. The Nebulans were most grateful for the Autobots and their gallantry in the fight to defend their planet, but now they had to continue their mission and track down Zarak and the others who had binary bonded with the Decepticons so that they would stand trial for their crimes.

"Alright, I've picked up the particle trail left by their ships. Trajectory locked..." Brainstorm said. "Jumping to hyperspace now!" The Steelhaven then blasted beyond the speed of light as the Autobots' quest began. However, they were unaware that Scorponok and Shockwave had other plans...

* * *

On Cybertron, Nightbeat and his team, consisting of Hosehead, Siren, Stakeout, Cavalier, Smokebomb, and Gunbarrel were at work interrogating Decepticons that were being held in the Dark Heart for any information regarding the spy in their midst. Most had no idea, some talked as though they knew but only to get their hopes at all, and none talked at all about anything. That was until the most unlikely source spoke up. "Yes, there is a Decepticon agent in your midst, Autobots." Megatron answered him, plainly. He looked at Stakeout, unconvinced of the Decepticon supreme leader's response.

"If you know something then we implore you to speak up." Nightbeat said with a gradually harsher tone.

"He hands out energon rations." Megatron answered "He's told me things about how Starscream is plotting an attack on Cybertron, and the result is that I will walk free." Megatron replied. This revelation was deeply unnerving to everyone who heard it, and soon enough, it was passed on to Ultra Magnus once the interrogations were over and Nightbeat went to Ultra Magnus' office to personally debrief their results.

"Then we're left with only one other option." Ultra Magnus said. "We don't have the time or the resources to assemble a tribunal to properly try Megatron for all the atrocities he's committed over the years. He is beyond trial. He must be executed as soon as possible. We haven't been able to raise Optimus since the space bridge was blown up, but he'll have to understand that not doing so and allowing him to escape would mean that this war could potentially go on for millions of years more."

"I agree, sir." Nightbeat concurred "I'll start making the preparations." There was no question that whatever happened, chaos on an untold level would follow. The only questioned that remained was whether or not Ultra Magnus, Nightbeat, Cerebros, Kup, Hot Rod, or any of the other Autobots would survive to face these threats...


	15. Operation Eclipse-Part 1

**Previously on Tales of the Transformers-**

**The battle for Nebulos has ended with the Autobots finally triumphing over Scorponok's pirates and Galen and Llyra ascending the throne as king and queen of Nebulos. However, their conflict on Nebulos was all part of Lord Zarak's plan to take the throne from Galen, and now the Autobot Headmasters and Targetmasters relentlessly pursue Scorponok and his pirate crew to capture their Nebulan partners to be tried on their home planet for their crimes. Despite all of this, Scorponok and Shockwave make haste towards Cybertron, where they will be joined by other Decepticon warlords for their attack on Iacon to free Megatron from Autobot captivity...**

* * *

Nightbeat and his team were working frantically to uncover the Decepticon agent in their ranks as confirmed by Megatron. He had told them nothing else other than confirm these suspicions first brought to light by Grapple after being gravely injured by Doubledealer's detonation of the space bridge which also killed Hoist and Perceptor. To Megatron, disclosing this information meant little to him. He knew that the attack would in time be successful and he would soon walk free, but what he began to realize was that Starscream may not have been the one orchestrating these events. "That fool, Starscream." Megatron said to himself. "He hasn't the charisma to lead Scraplets to a rusting corpse." Then he realized who was. The only individual with even enough sway over the Decepticons and the strategic capacity to carry out such an ambitious plan was one with whom Megatron had clashed with many times in the past. "Shockwave." He smiled at the thought of it. "A Decepticon keeping his word. Ironic. I suppose I at least should thank you before you follow in the path of your creation, Archforce." He then remembered a passage from _The Deceived_, his personal manifesto written during his imprisonment not long after the beginning of the first wave of Decepticon uprisings. "Deception is one great whole, and of it we are its many parts. Because we are all parts of that whole, to raise your sword against a brother in Deception would be to raise that sword against Deception itself. The cause of Deception therein requires a united front if we are to see to it that those who rule Cybertron be torn from their thrones and a new order take its place with the good of the common Cybertronian its one and only priority. This new Cybertron will be a paradise, one to rival the Golden Age we know from the writings of Alpha Trion. The strong will stand guard over the weak, the starving will be fed, the naked clothed, the ignorant enlightened, and Cybertron will at last break the chains fastened around it by the Senate and High Council. Cybertron will only know peace, because such goals will only be realized by one design-Peace through Tyranny."

* * *

In the command center of Autobase Iacon, Ultra Magnus convened a meeting with his senior officers and advisors to plan their defense against the assault warned of by Megatron. The Decepticons are bound to assault with huge numbers on the ground and in the air, plus support from orbital bombardment." He explained, illustrated by projections on the hologram table of the Decepticons potential attack formations. "Our defense will have to rely on the strategic placement of what troops we can muster, but I have a plan in the event things go awry." Another projection appeared, drawing gasps and murmurs from those gathered. What appeared were the projections of three gigantic Autobots.

"I'm sure you remember what a stir these three caused. Two million years ago, Optimus ordered the construction of three Autobot Titans-Omega Supreme, Metroplex, and Fortress Maximus-to act as safeguards against a major Decepticon offensive." Ultra Magnus said.

"Then why didn't he activate them during the Decepticons' big push forty something megacycles ago?" Asked Nightbeat.

"We considered that, but the reality of the situation meant that there wouldn't be enough time to activate them and for them to converge on Iacon in time to stop Megatron's advance." Ultra Magnus explained. "But, in this case, we may still have time. Even if we can only manage to activate two of the titans I calculate we'll have a twenty-five percent better chance of either defeating Starscream and the Decepticons or at the very least inflicting significantly greater damage than without them. We'll have to shelve the investigation into the identity of the mole in our midst Megatron told us about. It's a choice I'm not going to make lightly." A projection of the coordinates of Fortress Maximus, Omega Supreme, and Metroplex. Metroplex was located deep in the Charmex Basin in the Sea of Rust, 3,400 megamiles southwest of Iacon. 2,500 megamiles north was Omega Supreme in the Manganese Mountains, and far north was Fortress Maximus close to the planet's north pole. "Nightbeat, Cavalier, you'll each take a team to recover Metroplex and Omega Supreme. I'll being making preparations for Megatron's execution and the defense of the planet." Ultra Magnus said. Had he known that the Decepticon spy, Doubledealer, was in the room he would not have spoken so freely. Doubledealer slipped out of the command center in an attempt to then relay this information to Starscream and the rest of the incoming Decepticon battle group who were really under Shockwave. This caught Ultra Magnus' eye as he tried to escape in such a hasty manner. As he gave the briefing he then realized that it was the Autobot he knew to be Dealmaker who was the spy sent by Starscream.

"Hey!" Ultra Magnus boomed. Seeing this, Dealmaker quickly changed to his vehicle mode and sped away down the corridor, while Ultra Magnus, Nightbeat, Flak, Firechief, Streetsar, Sparkride, Flyup, Doubleheader, Longtooh, and Pincher all gave chase. "Set weapons to stun! I want answers from him!"

"Sir!" The Autobots replied as Ultra Magnus charged down the corridor on foot. Now that he was far enough ahead of his pursuers, Doubledealer changed back to robot mode and contacted Starscream as he ran on foot.

"Commander, do you read me!?"

* * *

As Trypticon jetted through hyperspace, Soundwave received a transmission. "A transmission registering a Decepticon frequency has been detected, Commander." He reported to Shockwave.

"Put it through." Shockwave instructed. The transmission was then put through to the bridge of Trypticon.

"Commander, do you read me!?" Doubledealer asked, frantically.

"What is it?" Starscream and Shockwave answered simultaneously. Doubledealer looked only at Starscream.

"Commander Starscream, I've been compromised." Doubledealer reported.

"How?! How could your cover have been blown?!" Starscream demanded of his spy.

"I'm not certain, but I think Lord Megatron realized that you aren't really the one who planned the operation to free him so he ratted me out to the Autobots!" Doublebealer replied. Trypticon's bridge went silent for a few seconds after Starscream's shady dealings had been brought to light.

"Starscream, you back-stabbing coward!" The normally level-headed Shockwave roared in a rare fit of genuine anger as he swiped at Starscream with his hand and sent him flying.

"Never let a good crisis go to waste, Shockwave!" Starscream said as he rose to his feet. "This is my chance to gain Lord Megatron's favor! You're doing this solely to tie up your loose ends and eliminate Megatron so you can become leader of the Decepticons! As if that scheme worked out the first time."

"Then I admit to it. I never intended on keeping my word to Megatron in my goals to become leader. If you have not yet realized that Megatron has brought the Decepticons to ruin then you are part of the problem! The Decepticons have no chance of defeating Optimus Prime with him in command. His emotions cloud his judgement and he revels in his cult of personality. I have no such limits, logic is the only thing which governs my decisions." Shockwave said with a burning passion in his voice as he then fired his shoulder turrets at Starscream, but he was able to jump up, hover in place with his foot jets and respond with a barrage of null cannon blasts, though Shockwave was able to dispel them with a single burst of energy from his hand cannon which then blew Starscream back and sent him falling to the floor in a heap. He concluded that Starscream was able to learn his lesson from this once again, and it wasn't the first altercation the two had gotten into.

"Once again, the fact that I require your services prevents me from killing you. Regrettable." Shockwave said as he looked down upon his temporarily vanquished rival. "See to it that Starscream is properly healed in time to commence the first wave of the assault." Shockwave radioed Knockout.

* * *

Back on Cybertron, Ultra Magnus and his Autobots continued their pursuit of Doubledealer. Now the Decepticon was truly on his own. He had no other choice but to pull out his weapon, put it to his head and pull the trigger. Ultra Magnus and his troops heard the report of a gunshot and as they rounded the bend they found Doubledealer laying on the floor in a pool of his own energon writhing in agony. As it turned out, he meant to shoot himself through the head with his pistol for a clean kill, but with his pursuers approaching so quickly he was too anxious to concentrate, meaning that he had shot himself such that the laser blast went through his neck and exited close to his waist. "I assume this was the spy. Dealmaker, was it?" Ultra Magnus wondered.

"Affirmative, sir." Nightbeat said.

"You and Cavalier assemble your teams and find those titans. I'll do what I can here." Ultra Magnus said. As he lay on the floor, Doubledealer grinned darkly.

"You can't stop what's coming!" He gasped, and indeed he was right. Trypticon and Scorponok in their starship modes, dropped out of hyperspace in orbit accompanied by an array of ships contributed by various other Decepticon warlords for the assault.

* * *

"Begin the assault. Operation: Eclipse has begun." Shockwave ordered. Unlike Megatron, he had no grandiose speech praising himself or the Decepticons as Megatron would. As he had told Starscream, he was only rescuing Megatron so that he could finally cement his power over the Decepticons and kill him. Starscream, after having his injuries repaired from his battle on the bridge with Shockwave, lead his seeker squadron into the fray at the vanguard of the assault.

"DECEPTICONS, ATTACK!" He shrieked as he changed to his jet mode and lead the charge. Autobot ships which formed a ring around Iacon's perimeter noticed this as they launched fighters of their own and opened up with point defense turrets and missile salvos. The flagship of this defense flotilla was the _Praxus 5_, a light cruiser of the same class as the _Steelhaven _ and its bridge crew were horrified to see the Decepticon jets making their attack runs on the fleet and the city down below.

"The Decepticons are attacking, alert Magnus!" An Autobot officer exclaimed, but before he could do that a missile from Blitzwing hit the ship right in its bridge and the explosion sent it into a dive.

"Haha! There goes the flagship!" Blitzwing roared, gleefully.

"Don't get cocky!" Starscream warned. "The Autobots won't surrender so easily, not with Megatron in their custody." A swarm of missiles from the point-defense Frigate _Alpha-Centauri_ came flying at Starscream, locked onto his energy signature, but he changed to his robot mode and opened fire with his null ray cannons which shorted out the missiles and detonated their warheads before they could even get close to him. The Decepticon Air Commander then changed back to his jet mode and with a tremendous boost of his jets he roared in on an attack vector, strafing the bow of the ship before he then was able to land a null-ray blast in one of the concussion missile launchers. The result was a massive explosion which touched off a chain reaction in all the other magazines, until finally the ship was vaporized by the explosion of the main reactor. "Aahahahahaaaa!" He cackled.

"Showoff." Muttered Dirge as he shot down an Autobot fighter. With Starscream and his air components dealing major damage to the Autobots' orbital defenses, Shockwave pressed on as the larger ships began their descent to the surface...


End file.
